PearlPlus AU Chronology - Steven Universe
by Tatttletale
Summary: AU by tripixle! Contents: - How Pink Diamond got her extra Pearl, and how the Pearls met. - Pink Diamond finally assumes control of the Earth and Pearl gets an opportunity to mull over her feelings. - Baby Steven warms up to the Pearls. - Steven makes a Together Breakfast!
1. Pearl x2

Pearl had originally been manufactured for White Diamond, and she was aware of that.

The only problem was that White refused to take her in. So, while the other Diamonds repurposed her, she needed to be trained.

Generally she was sent on errands for the three eldest Diamonds; to handle affairs while their own Pearls were inundated. Needless to say, she got the most attention (if you could even call it that) from White Diamond, as she had no Pearl of her own. This fact confused her—she couldn't quite understand why the most powerful Gem on Homeworld would _not_ have a Pearl. Perhaps she didn't trust anyone to handle her affairs, so she took care of it all herself.

Furthermore, she found it ironic that the youngest Diamond was to have _two_ Pearls. Originally, things had been fine with Pink's first, bouncy Pearl, but now she was gradually taking on more responsibilities, White Diamond wanted her to be supervised.

A pattering made her look up from the focus panel, and it fizzled away beneath her fingers. Pink Diamond's Pearl was running through the hall, and upon entering the room Pearl was standing sentry to, burst into delighted giggles.

Her Diamond was inside, then.

Once Pearl regained her focus, she was startled to find the other waving at her.

A small smile raising the corners of her lips, she raised her hand in automatic response, and then caught herself, hurriedly calling up the dormant panel. The other Gem looked mildly disappointed, but didn't say anything.

* * *

She had been sent to check on Pink Diamond and so, accordingly, was stationed outside her chamber. She gave a polite knock but, hearing cries inside, unlocked the entry panels herself.

Inside, Pink Diamond was prancing frantically around her burning throne, and her Pearl was using a holographic harddrive in an attempt to fan the fire (which, needless to say, wasn't helping, as the high concentration of oxygen molecules in the air were just being pushed toward the flames).

Having heard the doors, Pink's Pearl glanced over her shoulder and met her eyes, colouring.

Soundlessly, Pearl hit the emergency panel, activating the sprinklers, and the youngest Diamond and her Pearl stood gawking as the fire gradually died. When the coast was clear, Pink leapt gracefully up onto the throne to inspect the damage, and her Pearl came wandering awkwardly over, taking up position beside the room's new occupant.

A few moments passed in silence. Then the tinted Pearl leaned over and whispered.

"The flames were pretty though," she whispered, eyeing her Diamond.

"High levels of lithium chloride coloured the fire," Pearl explained. "Pink Diamond's thrones are all fashioned from kunzite, which belongs to the spodumene mineral class. Spodumene is a prevalent source of lithium, and the colour-enhancing dye used in Gem architecture contains chlorine."

The other Gem blinked. "But . . . how do you know all that?"

Pearl gazed at her in confusion, and the other tried again. "You're not a Bismuth," she explained.

Pearl became even paler, if that were possible. "—Oh, I just— I have free time, sometimes, and I— I look into things, I research, and I. . ." Resigned, she hung her head. "Please, don't tell anyone else."

Pink's Pearl looked scandalised. "Of course not! Why would I do that?"

Pearl couldn't think of anything to say.

"Pearl! The throne's fine!"

The youngest Diamond's voice carried easily across to them, and Pearl jumped, hastily saluting. The other only laughed delightedly and spun back to the former. "Oh, Pearl, tell my Diamond what you told me! About the kunzite!"

Pink looked entranced, and she trotted over, crouched before the two and stared eagerly at Pearl.

"Kunzite? Isn't that what my room's made of?"

"Ah— yes, my Diamond."

Pink's Pearl nudged her. "Go on!"

"Ahem, well, kunzite belongs to the spodumene mineral class. . ."

* * *

"Why can't _I_ have a colony?" Pink Diamond demanded, and she stomped her foot. "White has one, Yellow has one, and you've got at least five! I want a world, too!"

"Blue and I manage seven colonies each," Yellow interrupted resignedly, and Pink scowled indignantly.

"Pink," her blue counterpart sighed. "White and I have already discussed this. You're not ready for a colony yet. You should be happy! You have all the time in the world to go and play!"

"I'm a Diamond _too_!" Pink yelled. "I should have a world _too_!"

Blue abruptly changed tactics. "Well, you know what _you_ have that we don't?"

Pink paused, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "What?"

"You have an extra Pearl," Blue smiled. "We've been saving her for you, and now she's ready to begin her service. Today we're handing her over."

"And you had best behave," Yellow chipped in. "Your _new_ Pearl won't be putting up with any nonsense."

Pink whirled and locked onto the second Pearl standing by the door. "What! She's—that's _White's_ Pearl! Doesn't she need her? _I_ don't need another Pearl! I'm happy with my own!"

"Pink, don't be selfish. You know how many resources are consumed in order to make a Pearl. And we've repurposed her especially for you," Yellow tsked.

Pink stared beseechingly at the other Diamond. "But Blue—!"

"No, no buts," Blue said sternly. "You've proven to be irresponsible on your own. This Pearl will keep tabs on you. She will make sure you stay out of trouble."

Pink scowled and Yellow levelled a pointed glare at her.

Standing sentry by the doors, the subject Pearls listened silently. The newest felt eyes on her and glanced at the other—Pink Pearl coloured and returned her gaze to the conversation. When the two larger Diamonds finally turned away, Pink Pearl took a breath.

"Hi," she whispered.

Pearl seemed startled, her eyes flicking to the former. Her pink counterpart waved timidly.

With a cautious look at the Diamonds, Pearl replied lowly. "Hello."

"It's—It's nice to meet you," Pink said. "Our Diamond calls me Pink." She held out a hand.

Pearl stared blankly at her. After a couple of moments, she suddenly smiled, and pressed her flat palm to Pink's in an attempt at an extremely passive high-five.

Pink stared. "That. . . was meant to be a handshake."

* * *

"Look, Pink! I'm balancing!"

Pink Diamond stood atop a rounded crystal ball, arms out and one leg raised gracefully.

Pink Pearl laughed delightedly. "Perfect, my Diamond! And it's wobbling, too!"

The entry panel chimed and the Diamond yelped, startled and thrown off balance. The doors slid open, revealing the newest addition, arms full with holographic harddrives.

Pink Pearl stopped laughing and shot her an anxious look.

Pearl turned and, upon seeing the Diamond, dropped the harddrives in horror. "Oh! My Diamond! Please, get down from there! It isn't safe!"

In tandem the Pearls rushed over to the flailing Diamond, and while Pink Pearl tried to grab her hand, the newer Pearl waved her arms in an incredibly ineffective attempt to assist her Diamond. She came toppling over, taking both Pearls with her to the floor.

Flustered, Pearl sat up, wincing and glancing around. Oh dear, her Diamond might be hurt, and what if the others found out—

Laughter pierced the air.

On her left, her Diamond was lying, unbothered, giggling hysterically at her own clumsiness.

On her right, Pink Pearl was chuckling into her hand. She glanced up and caught her gaze.

Pearl couldn't help her own laughter at the silliness of it all, and soon all three were lying together, laughing in tandem.

Their carefree giggles wound up into the air and tangled together, carrying out the window.

The whole of the Pink Court echoed with the remnants of childish pleasure.

* * *

**PROMPT: "How about when pink pearl met our pearl? What was the reason pink diamond got 2 pearls? How did they interact?" — for mwaheed2001! Hope you enjoyed! :3**

**I just had to be a smartass and drop a nerdy Pearl in there. . . Forgive me.**

**Based on the canon animatic: watch?v=JxvNgDh3kKE**


	2. Love on the Planet Earth

"Oh, Pink, this is so exciting! My own world!"

The Pearl giggled in response. "What will you call it, my Diamond?"

"Earth." She smiled. "I've been saving that name for so long . . . it feels so good to finally say it!"

"I've already set into place schedules for the Lapis Lazulis, my Diamond," Pearl broke in respectfully. "The terraforming should only take a few weeks."

"Oh, this is amazing!" The Diamond spun herself around and laughed. "Soon, we'll be making Gems! We'll be making _life_!"

"Isn't it wonderful?" Pink agreed, and spun to Pearl, gazing at her hopefully.

She gave a small smile in return and nodded.

Without warning, the youngest Diamond jumped between them and took Pink's hands in hers, spinning them around. Pearl stood by and watched, bemused, until she noticed they were spinning dangerously close to the mirror.

"Ah—! My Diamond!" she cried. "Watch out—"

But the two had already toppled into it, sending the panes crashing to the floor. Delicate cracks ran through the glass, marring the smooth surface.

Pearl hurried over.

"My Diamond! Are you alright?"

The latter only sat up, laughing, and when the smaller Gem on the floor sat up, she received a playful push, and the Diamond burst into another fit of giggles. From her position beside the larger Gem, Pink looked up, and shot Pearl a teasing smile. "I'm okay, too, thank you."

Pearl flushed cyan. "Oh, I— I'm sorry—"

"_Pink!_ Look, look at these shards!"

The Diamond was now on her knees, prying splinters of broken glass from the frame. Pearl almost squealed in dismay.

"I wonder what we could make with these," the Diamond mused, oblivious to the former's tense reaction. "What if we crushed them up and— no, that wouldn't work. Maybe if we ground the pebbles into dust and mixed the glass fragments in . . . oh, but the pebbles wouldn't be . . . _pebbles_, anymore. Just think, if we made a sparkling Pebble!"

She raised her eyes to Pink and beamed. Then, noticing Pearl out of the corner of her eye, she turned and gave her a soft smile. "What do _you_ think, Pearl?"

There was a moment of surprised silence as she mulled it over. "Well . . . theoretically you _could_ mix the fragments with the dust. We— You would just have to be careful so as to not grind the rocks too small. Bismuths are strong and heat-resistant. Perhaps you could call one to help you re-set the rocks with the glass _inside_ them?"

Another silence.

"But . . . wouldn't the glass melt?" Pink ventured meekly.

Pearl sighed. "Oh yes, that's right. Maybe . . . I think chipping divets in the pebbles and setting glass inside those would be a more efficient use of your time. But you'll need sand."

The Diamond blinked. "Sand. . .?"

Pearl nodded. "Glass is made from superheated liquid sand. Heating individual pockets of sand to 3090 degrees without harming the surrounding rock could pose a problem, though."

The former sighed. "Where would we get sand? The nearest colony that hasn't been completed is at least seventy light-years away."

"I've heard Earth has sand, my Diamond," Pearl said brightly.

The two pink Gems gazed at her in astonishment. "Really?" the Diamond breathed.

Pearl nodded.

Pink spun to their superior. "Oh, my Diamond, this would be the perfect opportunity to explore your colony before colonisation! Right now, we have it all to ourselves!"

The Diamond glanced at Pearl for confirmation. "Is that right?"

"Yes. The Lapis Lazuli fleet isn't expected to begin work for a couple of days."

The Diamond beamed. "Wonderful! I'll go ask Blue and Yellow!" She sprang up, stepping on the broken glass and crunching it underfoot. "Oh, and, Pink. . ."

"Yes, my Diamond?"

"Can you please clean this up before I get back?"

"Of course, my Diamond." The Pearl's gem glowed in preparation.

"Thank you! I'll go see Blue first—if you need me, I'll be at her pool. I'll see you two soon!"

* * *

It had taken longer than expected, but Blue had agreed to postpone the terraforming so that the youngest Diamond could explore her colony—with supervision, of course. The colony's moon base had yet to be built, so the three were warped directly to the location of the Prime Kindergarten. Luckily, some experienced Bismuths had already paid a visit in order to construct warp pads in strategic areas for easy access.

As soon as the three materialised on Earth, the Diamond was rushing off to drop into the grass, to smell the flowers, to gaze at the sky. Pink readily joined in the frolicking, tearing up handfuls of grass and throwing them into the air where they fell as green rain.

Pearl, however, stayed put. She told herself she was content in watching her companion and their Diamond play.

But that didn't stop the old empty feeling from blooming in her chest.

Soon the Diamond was jumping up and running off again toward something that had caught her eye. Pink stood and looked fit to follow when she stopped and turned, locking eyes with Pearl.

Pearl straightened and made an effort to look disinterested.

"Why don't you come with us?"

The voice tugged at her gaze and she found herself making eye contact yet again. With an effort, she dragged her focus away to settle on something else.

"Someone has to keep watch. You two look like you're having fun."

"It would be even more fun if you joined."

Another quick glance at Pink's hopeful smile.

"I . . . don't think I'm allowed."

"Of course you are," the other said, and stepped closer. "We're Pink Diamond's Pearls, not anyone else's. We can do what she likes—what _we_ like."

Something hopeful flared in her chest, but she hurriedly squashed it with doubt, averting her eyes. "I wasn't made to play."

"Well, you can still learn."

Out of the corner of her eye, Pearl could see the other extending her hand. After a few moments of tense silence, she relented and took it.

Over the next few hours they all three frolicked together, climbing trees, rolling down hills, dipping in streams, and exploring the forests. Needless to say, Pearl preferred to remain clean and dry, and so watched much of the games from her chosen post.

Glancing up at the sky, Pearl was faintly surprised to notice that it had darkened considerably. The crescent moon hung low overhead.

"Excuse me, my Diamond," she called respectfully, "The sun has set. We should be getting back."

The Diamond abruptly stopped laughing and frowned. "Oh, Pearl! Back home? Homeworld's _galaxies_ away."

Pearl remained steadfast. "Blue Diamond's orders were to return at the end of the day."

The Diamond pouted, and then smiled mischievously. "She didn't say _what_ day. We could spend the night here!"

Pink beamed. "Oh, yes, please, my Diamond! We can have another full day of exploring tomorrow!"

The Diamond turned to Pearl. "Would you like to stay with us, Pearl?"

Something in her chest twinged. _Yes,_ she wanted to say. "It _is_ my moral obligation to do so, my Diamond," she said instead.

"She means yes," Pink chimed to the taller Gem.

"Well, let's find someplace to rest," the Diamond returned, and scanned the trees.

"We passed by a cave not too long ago," Pearl offered. "I can take you there, if you want."

They decided to pass up on the cave and chose to rest under a blossoming tree instead. As Pearl stood sentry, the Diamond sat and laid back against the trunk, and Pink curled up next to her, head in her lap. Something like envy flared in Pearl's chest.

The Diamond opened her eyes and turned to Pearl, shooting her a tired smile. "Join us."

Pearl's legs began mechanically forward, and the Diamond's eyes widened. "Oh, no! No, I'm sorry. That wasn't a command. I just . . . If you wanted to, you could join us."

Pearl stopped and gazed at her. That sounded . . . nice.

From the Diamond's lap, Pink opened her eyes and fixed her own gaze on Pearl. She sat up and nuzzled into their Diamond's side, making space.

Warily, Pearl sat down beside them, on the Diamond's left. Almost immediately, a gloved arm curled its way around her shoulders and pulled her against the warm-bodied Gem.

She flushed a little, sneaking a glance up her. The Diamond's eyes were closed, a soft smile on her lips, and soon she and Pink were lying still, unresponsive.

It still scared Pearl a little, that the Gems were acting this way—like organic life forms. But she had been with them for a while now, and knew that they would open their eyes again when they felt rested.

Knowing neither were paying attention to her any longer, she allowed herself to relax, to slump against her Diamond. The arm around her shifted a little, and Pearl cautiously laid her head in her lap, the way Pink had done.

. . . This felt nice.

As the two slept on, she stayed like that, nuzzled against their Diamond, eyes on the horizon.

* * *

The following day progressed much the same as the first—frolicking amongst the trees, following the paths of sparkling streams, sitting amongst the flowers. At one point the Diamond leant down and pressed her lips to Pink's forehead, which had Pearl frowning. When Pink wandered off, Pearl troubled herself with picking colourful and unique flowers and presenting them to their Diamond.

"Oh, Pearl, these are lovely!" she gasped, and dipped her head to savour the sweet-smelling blooms.

Out of the corner of her eye, Pearl caught Pink watching. No more than a few minutes later, the other was poring over their Diamond, threading flowers into her tousled hair.

And so began a juvenile competition between the Pearls, with Pink seamlessly topping the other's every move, and with Pearl becoming increasingly flustered as a result.

Finally, defeated, Pearl marched off to sit by the edge of a stream. Cautious footsteps made her look up.

"What's wrong?" Pink asked.

Pearl turned away. "Nothing."

"Pearl, I know something's wrong. You're not usually . . . like this."

"And can you always make her happy so seamlessly?" she replied, voice soft.

There was a pause, and then Pearl felt the grass displace as the other settled beside her.

"Pearl, can you look at me?"

"Why?"

"Please."

With effort, she met the pink Gem's eyes, and found them brimming with emotion. "What's the matter?"

Pearl's shoulders slumped. "My purpose is to take care of our Diamond and make her happy. But I'm failing. I'm— I'm supposed to be better than you, but I'm not. You successfully implement both your job and mine." Pearl returned her gaze to the stream, reaching forward to trail fingers in the cool water. "I'm not needed."

"This is about your _job_?" Pink asked, incredulous. "Our Diamond doesn't care that we're Pearls. She sees us as friends."

"Not me," Pearl said bitterly.

"What makes you think that?"

"She always consults you first. You have the most fun together. And you were fine before I came. I just . . . want to be something more than a Pearl. Does she see that. . .?"

There was a shift, and then two slender arms wrapped around her. Pink rested her head on her covered shoulder. "_I_ think you're special."

Pearl stiffened, unable to take her eyes from the babbling water. Everything seemed to stop—the trees were frozen, the organics held their breath, and the sun hung stationary in the sky. Then Pink spoke again.

"And I'm sure she does too."

Pearl felt her eyes sting and gave a small sniff. Pink sat up and took her hands into her own.

They sat there for a while, in natural silence, gazing into the crystalline water, until their Diamond's voice broke the quiet.

"Pink! Pearl? Where are you?"

Gingerly Pink let go of Pearl and stood, brushing herself down. The former remained in the grass, gazing up at her, as if in a dream.

"Come on," Pink offered, and held out her hand. With hesitation and a cautious smile, Pearl took it.

* * *

**PROMPTS: "Could you write about their first reactions to getting the colony?" — for quillofthoth on FanFiction!**

**"How about when both pearls had feelings for their diamond and tried to compete with another before making up?" — for mwaheed2001 on FanFiction!**

**Hope you enjoyed! :)**


	3. The New Gems

"Soon, word will get out that there's a new pink Gem in the Kindergarten! They'll . . . They'll find me and shatter me! Or they'll destroy Earth trying!" Pink Diamond slumped back in her control-base seat, burying her face in her hands. "Ooohhh, Pink, what have I done?"

"You could try manufacturing a new strain of Quartz to match your new form, my Diamond," Pink piped up hopefully. She nudged Pearl.

The latter straightened. "Oh— yes. Yes, it's not uncommon for Diamonds to establish their colonies with colour-conformed Gems."

". . . Really?" The Diamond peeked through her fingers.

"Of course!" Pink was practically jittering with excitement. "Once you have a matching caste, we can go exploring Earth whenever we like! No one will even notice!"

"You think?" Pink's excitement was contagious—now their Diamond was sitting straight in her seat. "Pearl, are there any viable strains I could try?"

"Well. . . you would need a caste that performs physical labour or that terraforms to be suitable for work on Earth—but Lapis Lazulis are off-colour. . . there are strains of pink Chalcedony, but Chalcedonies hardly labour. . . Oh! Cat's-Eye Quartz manifests in pink, and of course there is Rose Quartz, with its Star variety, that would be suita—"

"Rose Quartz," the Diamond mulled. "That sounds so pretty!"

"However pretty it is, it could never be as pretty as you, my Diamond," Pink chirped.

The Diamond flushed. "Piiiink!"

"She's right, my Diamond," Pearl put in.

The taller Gem moaned. "Not you too!"

Pink giggled and nudged Pearl.

"But," the Diamond continued, sitting up and regaining her composure, "I think Rose Quartz sounds wonderful—thank you, Pearl. But . . . how do I make the strain?"

"That should be relatively easy," Pearl said. "Once you have permission to create the caste, you can design the faceted gem under supervision, and then that design will be mass-produced. Once you have enough, you can organise their places in the Alpha Kindergarten, and then the injectors will do the rest of the work."

"But how will I make them look like me once they form?" she fretted.

"We can take care of that, my Diamond," Pearl smiled. She shot a wink at her companion, and the tinted Pearl grinned in delight.

Pink Diamond sighed and slumped in relief against her throne. "Oh, that's good—perfect. Thank you. I just need to ask Yellow and Blue, then. . ."

"Pink, before you do that, can we please go to Earth again?" Pink Pearl pleaded. "It won't take too long! You can meet more Amethysts!"

The Diamond looked hopeful, but she shook her head. "I have to take care of this as soon as I can."

"I can put in the request for you, if you wish, my Diamond," Pearl suggested. "You and Pink can go play."

"Really?" her Diamond's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Pearl! You're amazing!"

The two pink Gems dashed out of the control room, and Pearl smiled when she saw the flash of the warp pad. Taking a last glance out the window at the planet hanging before her, she turned to the control panel and called up the communications.

* * *

Pink watched in awe as yet another assigned hole blazed and gave way in a shower of soil to another new Gem. The newest Rose Quartz leaped gracefully to the ground.

Pink, disguised as another Quartz, stepped forward and smiled adoringly.

"You're so beautiful!" she told the Gem, and the latter flushed appreciatively. "Welcome to Earth!"

"Th-Thank you," the Quartz stammered, fazed at the other's dazzling grin. "Why . . . Thank you, but . . . why are you so happy to see me? There are dozens like me."

"Because every single one of you is unique," the first Rose explained. "And you're no exception! Despite your programming you all come out with your own distinguishable features—some of you have ringlets like me, some of you have messy curls, and some of you have straight hair, just like the Amethysts! But you, you're the first pink-skinned Rose Quartz I've ever seen!"

The Quartz looked worried. "Am I . . . Am I defective? Is my skin supposed to be lighter?"

"No, no!" Rose cried. "You're perfect. Each and every one of you are! Though you are all made for the same purpose, it's your differences that make you special. Just like the organic life on our wonderful planet, you all have unique variations . . . you are all your own Gems, and that's _beautiful_."

The cotton-candy Gem was now as dark as her fuchsia hair. "I— thank you."

"You're welcome!" Rose smiled. "Welcome to the team! I'm the prototype Rose Quartz, so I have other duties, and you won't be seeing me around much; but I'll be visiting you all as often as I can! Don't be afraid to say hi when I do!"

"Thank you," the dazed Quartz said again, and with a smile, Rose turned back to her Pearls.

They were occupied with a curious Amethyst. "You're so fancy!" the gravelly voice lilted in excitement, and she reached forward to touch Pink Pearl's skirts. "Are you Rose's Pearls?"

"No," Rose said loudly, and the Amethyst spun, caught off guard. Rose smiled gently. "They're . . . Pink Diamond's Pearls. She . . . She sends them down sometimes to check on the Kindergarten's progress."

"Can't she do that from her moonbase?" the Amethyst asked, confused.

"Ah, yes— but she prefers to collect firsthand information," Rose scrambled. "That way she can pick up details that the computer can't."

"Oh," the Amethyst said, seemingly understanding. "That's so clever of her!"

Rose smiled tiredly. "I suppose."

The purple Gem sauntered off, and Rose exchanged a worried look with the Pearls. The three hastened to the warp pad and phased back to the moonbase.

* * *

"Ohh, how could I be so stupid? I can't bring you with me! You're Pearls, you don't belong in the Kindergarten! If word gets out I'll be in so much tro—"

Pink was disappointed. "You mean we can't go to the Kindergarten with you again? There must be some way!"

"I'm sorry, Pink," the Diamond said, forlorn. "I can't let you get caught. If you were Quartzes, that would be different, but—"

"Um, pardon me, my Diamond," Pearl interrupted. "But . . . we can go in disguise."

"What . . . do you mean?"

"You can shapeshift into a Quartz," Pearl said, and disappeared in a haze of white. The amalgam expanded and when it returned to colour, another Rose Quartz stood looking back at her. "And so can we."

In a flash, a pair of Quartzes were smiling back at her.

"Oh, please, my Diamond!" Pink cried, bouncing on her toes. "It'll be so exciting! All three of us, masquerading on Earth!"

The Diamond's smile only lasted a second. "That's a very good idea, Pearl, but . . . that form's too big for you to hold. It will exhaust you."

"Oh, pleeeaase, Pink!" the Pearl of the same name gazed at her intently. "Let us come with you! It will only be for a short while—"

There were footsteps outside and, quick as a flash, the Pearls lapsed into their smaller forms. The footsteps continued past the door, and they all sighed.

"I'm sorry, Pink," the Diamond whispered firmly. "But no. I won't let you. You'll get hurt."

"What about our uniforms?" Pink piped loudly. Pearl shushed her and she continued in a whisper. "If we changed our uniforms, become stray Pearls. . ."

"Assumedly the Pearls of higher visiting Gems," Pearl continued quietly. "No one will question it."

Pink Diamond looked doubtful.

"Oh, please, Pink!" the second Pearl begged, and she clasped her hands. "Please don't leave us on our own! We love spending time with you!"

There was a long silence. Finally it was broken by the Diamond's loud sigh.

"Okay, fine," she conceded hesitantly. "But if either of you get caught, you'll have to stop, okay?"

"Yes, my Diamond," the Pearls chorused.

The former gave a weary smile. "If all else fails . . . I'll keep you safe."

* * *

**PROMPT: "Do PD creating the Rose Quartz caste!" — for Max waspace on FanFiction! Hope you enjoyed! :)**


	4. Bubbled Bismuth

"This is . . . nice."

Garnet lounged back in the grass, eyes closed. Dappled sunlight danced across her dark skin. "I can see us spending many hours together like this . . . figuratively. But literally, too, perhaps."

The permafusion hadn't quite integrated as a personality yet (which was evidently portrayed in her choice of dual colour, a striking blue and pink) and had yet to fully master her newfound abilities. Sapphire, Pink thought, must find it particularly difficult to grow accustomed to the prospect of multiple possible future timelines.

"It is lovely here," she agreed, crossing her legs more comfortably.

"This is why Rose chose to defend the Earth," Pearl murmured, gaze distant. There was a soft smile on her face.

Pink shifted closer to her, and Pearl looked up. ". . . Where _is_ Rose?"

They looked to Garnet, still lying calmly in the grass. She peeked one of her eyes open. "Me? Oh, uh. . ." the third eye blinked open. "Maybe . . . she could return soon from border patrol, or flower picking. . ."

"Actually," Pink offered, "I just remembered—when she left, she told us she'd go and check in on Bismuth's collecting later. Perhaps she's brought back some to the Forge."

"Could you go and see if she's there?" Pearl asked hopefully. "Please?"

Pink tittered. "You wouldn't like to do it yourself?"

Pearl flushed lightly, stealing a glance at Garnet. "Um, well. . ."

"It's okay." Pink winked and stood. "I'll leave you two together. I won't be long."

* * *

"—And finally, I polished it all over with resin, to protect the blade . . . but also to make it pretty."

Rose padded along behind the babbling blacksmith, unable to focus her attention on any one thing. The Forge was strewn with weapons and parts, stacked against the walls, piled on makeshift benches, and scattered on the floor. She stepped over a dulled sword delicately.

"So . . . what _is_ this new tool you've been telling me about?"

Bismuth shot her a look over her shoulder and grinned. "Just you wait 'til you see it."

They came to a stop next to a rounded platform ringed with clay figures. Rose turned to a nearby bench and picked up a small tool.

She turned it over in her hands, admiring the way the sliver of metal shone.

"Ta-daaa!"

She looked up to find Bismuth wielding a large cylindrical . . . thing. It was almost like an arm cannon, with straps to secure to one's arm, and a menacing pointed blade on the end.

"This, is the Breaking Point. I've been working on this baby for months! Whaddya think?"

Rose didn't know why, but suddenly she felt queasy. "What . . . does it do, exactly?"

"I'll show you." With a flourish, Bismuth spun and put it against the gem marking on the closest figurine. She pulled the trigger.

With a loud _BANG!_, the point shot through the clay. When Bismuth moved aside, Rose could see the far wall through the huge hole. The discarded clay lay in clumps on the ground.

She felt sick.

"See how much _power_ this thing has? Look at that! And it didn't even take any effort. We could down _thousands_ of Homeworld Gems like this!"

Bismuth stood tall, a triumphant grin on her face. The Forge was silent for a moment.

"Bismuth . . . we're not using that."

Bismuth stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending, and then chuckled.

"Ya got me, Rose. _As if_ we wouldn't use this stone-cold ba—"

"Bismuth." Her voice came louder this time, and she stepped forward, expression hard. "You will not be using that weapon. None of us will. We will _not_ shatter Gems."

The blacksmith looked like she'd just been slapped. "But— we have to! They're out to kill us! The Diamonds have shattered _hundreds_ of us! We need to shatter _them_ before they—"

"I said no." Her reply was cold. "The Crystal Gems are freedom fighters, _not_ murderers. None of us will stoop to the Diamonds' level. And if _you_ do, then you will no longer be a Crystal Gem."

Bismuth stared at her, shocked. Her eyes flicked to the mass of draped canvas against the far wall—the statue of Rose Quartz. The statue she had worked for months over and had yet to unveil.

Rose Quartz, leader of the Crystal Gems. The rebel who sought to implement equality in the caste system and free Gemkind from under the Diamond Authority's tyrannical rule.

When their eyes locked again, Bismuth's features were hard.

"But _you_ shattered Pink Diamond."

The other Gem froze.

"And that makes you worse than any of us." The blacksmith paused, a light dawning on her face. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

Rose couldn't move, her gem pulsing frantically against her navel. She knew. She would tell everyone.

"You're a tyrant, just like them. But at least they don't hide it."

_"What?"_ Rose gasped.

"You're a _liar_," Bismuth seethed, advancing. "You lied to _all_ of us. You don't want to _help_ us; you want to _control_ us. You want to overthrow the Diamonds just so _you_ can take _your_ place at the top."

The Quartz backpedalled. "N— No! Why would I—"

"Or you're in _cohorts_ with them." Bismuth's hands fists swung with each menacing step. "_That's_ why you won't let us shatter them. _That's_ why you're leading us to slaughter. You sought out rebels by posing as one of us and now, you're going to have all of us shattered."

"Bismuth—" There was a sharp tightness in her chest. "No! No, no! That's not me! I'm _nothing_ like them!"

"You're going to crush _all_ of us," Bismuth snarled, "Starting with _me_. So I'm going to take care of _you_ instead."

Rose realised with horror that her opponent was still wielding the Breaking Point. With a roar, she hefted the monstrous weapon and charged.

Her mind reeled. In a split second she activated her gem and summoned her means of defence.

It wasn't her shield.

Bismuth gaped at her, halted in her tracks. The pink blade had buried itself a mere inch below her multicoloured gem, and over her shoulder Rose could see the tip protruding from her exposed back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Bismuth's form dissipated in a billow of smoke and her gem thunked loudly to the ground.

Trembling, Rose kneeled and took the patterned metal into her hands, jarringly repentant. It was still warm against her skin.

She straightened and, after a moment of conflicted thought, enveloped the gem in a pink bubble.

"Rose!"

She started and sent the bubble away. She could find it and hide it properly later.

"Rose?"

She turned to find Pink at the entrance to the smelting room and forced a smile. "Pink."

"Hey, we were wondering where you'd gone. Where's Bismuth?"

"She's not here," she said hurriedly, and steadied herself. "She's probably out . . . collecting resources or something." She couldn't let them know.

"Oh, okay." Pink didn't seem too worried. "Well . . . are you finished in here?"

Rose nodded.

Pink smiled. "Great! Well, you can find us in the glade when you come out."

She nodded again in assent, and Pink disappeared up the tunnel.

* * *

It was an hour later when Rose finally returned to the glade, looking pale and unkempt.

It had only taken her thirty minutes to find Bismuth's bubble at the primary base and hide it in the Forge—she reasoned that she could stash it somewhere more secure later. The remainder of her time she spent regretfully mulling over her actions.

She was fond of Bismuth, and appreciated her spirit and her talents—but she had attacked her, and Rose had acted purely in self-defence. If she had spread those thoughts around, the Crystal Gems would undoubtedly be disbanded.

The others liked the blacksmith, too. They all got along, and if they found out what had happened, they'd be understandably upset—and they might have even left her if she didn't give them a reasonable explanation. She couldn't tell them the truth—suspicions would fly and before she could even think, she'd be alone. Again.

Either way, she couldn't tell them about what had happened, and she couldn't bear to tell them Bismuth had been shattered, despite that being the easiest option. She'd give them an ambiguous answer—Bismuth had been lost. That way, there was no great emotional jarring for the Gems; their relationships with the blacksmith would remain intact and they wouldn't have to accept the fact that Bismuth would be gone forever.

By the time she emerged from the Forge, Rose had made up her mind. She entered the glade sullenly.

"Rose!" Pearl jumped up.

"Hey!" Rose masked her feelings behind a tired smile. "Anything on the next wave?"

"Yellow Diamond will be sending her troops within the next few hours," Garnet offered, visor glinting. ". . . We think."

Still so unsure of herself, Rose thought fondly. Despite all that she could do.

"What about Bismuth?"

Pearl's voice startled the Quartz out of her train of thought.

Garnet nodded. "Bismuth always keeps to the frontlines when she's not forging or training. She could provide some valuable information. Where is she right now?"

They all three gazed at her expectantly.

Rose felt her chest tighten again.

"Bismuth? She's—" _She's bubbled and hidden._ "—She's still on the frontlines, keeping a lookout. She should be back soon."

"I thought you said she was collecting resources?" Pink inquired.

"Yes, she's . . . both. She's collecting resources _and_ keeping a lookout."

Pink narrowed her eyes, and Rose felt her hands go clammy. Then the moment was gone and the slight Gem smiled. "She has always been a busy blacksmith."

The Gems chuckled. Rose stood, unsmiling, isolated.

* * *

It was barely an hour later when Yellow Diamond's soldiers descended.

Garnet, Pink, Pearl and Rose were forced to cluster together, back-to-back, sanctioned off from their allies across the glade. With a unified flash of light, Pink called on her lance, Pearl summoned her spear and Garnet's heavy gauntlets materialised over her fists.

When Rose dew her sword, the others eyed the efficient blade glinting in the dusky light. Rose locked onto the tip and saw it leering tauntingly from over Bismuth's shoulder.

"Where's Bismuth?" Pearl shouted as her spear clashed against metal. "She should be back by now!"

When Rose summoned her shield against the advancing Gems, they were blinded by the stream of multicoloured light diffracting through its body. She could only see Bismuth's hair, aglow in the fiery light of the Forge.

"Rose!"

She jerked back at Garnet's warning call, narrowly avoiding the path of a jabbing knife.

_Stop thinking about her,_ she chastised herself, moving forward and expanding her shield. _That doesn't matter right now._

A growling Ruby leapt at her from the right and she turned, deflecting the blow and shielding Pink. From her blindside, silhouetted from the sun, emerged a burly, broad-shouldered Gem. The other Homeworld soldiers withdrew, sighting the Lapis Lazuli (gem) clenched in her fist. Rose, though, couldn't take her eyes away from the geometric spiral centred on her chest.

"Bismuth," she murmured.

_"Rose! Watch out!"_

There was a blur of movement and a shock of sparks. When the smoke cleared, Rose looked down to find a freshwater pearl rolling between her feet. A couple of feet away, the abandoned spear dissipated.

* * *

"I already told you! I don't want you to protect me anymore!"

"But I'm your Pearl!" the latter fought. "I'm _supposed_ to be there for you!"

"Not like this!" Rose fired. "You weren't even _made_ for this! You were made for holding my things and opening doors!"

"That doesn't mean I can't grow! Look at you! You've grown so much, and you've taught _us_ how to as well! You've taught _me_!"

"I haven't grown," Rose snapped. "And neither have you. You're the same as you've always been—you're stubborn and overprotective."

"Rose, I'm your—"

"No, you're not!" she shouted, flinging an arm out. "_She_ is! You're White's Pearl. You were never mine."

Pearl's breath caught.

"And I don't want you to protect me anymore. You have no obligation to." She turned away.

She could feel, rather than see, the other Gem deflate, and she tensed as she listened to the dainty footsteps retreating.

When they faded into silence, she allowed herself a teary exhale. The anger she felt held no depth.

It was only a manifestation of the panic and guilt she felt whenever she watched Pearl sacrifice herself for her. She was used to expressing her feelings through anger by now—anger gave her power. And, back home (no, not home; _Homeworld_) power was everything. If you had no power, you were downtrodden, you were ignored.

She hadn't wanted for Pearl to grow so attached to her. She needed the other Gems' dependence—and she wanted it, too. Rose was still growing used to her new-found rights; she couldn't cater for Pearl's as well. She just wanted for her to be free; free like Rose had wanted to be for so long. And Pearl wasn't embracing that amazing opportunity like Pink had.

"Rose?"

She turned. The aforementioned Pink was peering around a nearby bush, looking worried.

Rose gave her a warm grin. "Pink! Tough fight, huh?"

The Pearl's eyebrows knitted together. "Rose . . . please. What happened?"

"Oh! Pearl's just a little upset right now."

"Did you say anything to her?"

"No." Her answer came too fast.

Pink gazed at her for a moment, and then she sighed. "Rose . . . I'm not a Diamond. I'm your friend. You can talk to me."

The Quartz bunched her skirts in her fists guiltily. "I know."

"So . . . what happened?"

A pause.

"I . . . I got angry again," she finally relented. "She just . . . won't listen. The two of you are my best friends, and I can't imagine where I'd be without you—but she acts just like all of . . . _them!_ She caters to me—she treats me like Pink Diamond . . . not Rose Quartz."

Pink stepped cautiously from behind the bush. "So . . . that's the problem? She treats you like her Diamond—it's not that she risks herself for you?"

"Of course, it's that too." Rose sighed. "And that's what any Gem in my Court would do. They do these things because they're _supposed_ to."

"Not because they love you?"

Rose stared at her, baffled. "No— How? None of them even knew me!"

"_She_ knows you."

Rose fell silent, eyes wide. Then her gaze dropped to the ground. "Of course she does. She's my best friend."

Pink shook her head and sighed, covering the distance between them. She laid a gentle hand on her arm, and when she spoke, it was with a sad smile. "Rose . . . She _loves_ you."

Without warning, the Quartz's eyes misted. "But . . . _they_ didn't."

"I think they did," Pink said softly. "And _she_ does, too."

There was silence for a moment, and then Rose hung her head. "I told her she's not my Pearl."

"I know."

"I told her she's White's."

"I know."

"I told her to stop protecting me. That she hasn't grown."

"I know."

Rose reeled, irritated. "Just how long did you stand there listening to us?"

Pink chuckled softly. "I've been here the entire time."

The other sighed, a fond smile quirking her lips. "You're unbelievable."

"I know."

Another silence descended. Neither spoke. Birds chirped nearby.

After a few minutes, Rose broke the quiet with a sniff. "I didn't mean what I said. I just want her to know that she's not mine anymore. That she's free." She wiped her eyes. "And Bismuth should be, too."

"What?"

She froze. Pink's eyes narrowed. "Rose, what did you d—"

"Aah!"

She was cut off by a small cry and turned around. Garnet blinked up at them sheepishly from her sprawled position on the ground.

"My favourite fusion," Rose smiled, relieved for the distraction. "I thought you had found your balance by now?"

"We still find it . . . difficult, sometimes," Garnet admitted, pushing herself up. "Working together seamlessly."

"Of course." Rose was keenly aware of Pink's eyes still fixed on her.

The taller Gem turned back to the fusion. "Did you need anything?" she said hurriedly.

Garnet nodded, fixing her visor. "I think you should talk to Pearl."

"That's actually just what we were talking about," Pink said, and gave the Quartz's arm a reassuring pat. "You should go do it now."

Rose was surprised at her friend's sudden change of mind, but gladly took the opportunity to bustle out of the clearing and away from confrontation.

She found Pearl hunched by the freshwater stream that ran past their base, gazing into the water as she so often did.

When she sat down beside her to trail her toes in the water, the slender Gem jumped.

"May I?"

Rose kept her voice soft. Pearl nodded hesitantly and shifted over.

They sat like that for a few tense minutes, side-by-side, leaning into the gentle breeze, until Rose spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Pearl looked at her and blinked owlishly, as if she didn't quite understand.

"About what I said . . . I'm sorry." Rose closed her eyes and exhaled. "You're not White's Pearl, but . . . you're not mine either." Pearl's eyes dropped. "And neither is Pink."

Rose took one of her pale hands into her own, and with visible effort, Pearl met her eyes again. "You're your _own_ Gems. You don't belong to me anymore."

Pearl's voice was frail. "But . . . I want to be yours. My job is to make you happy."

Rose sighed, frustration brimming. "This isn't about your _job_, Pearl. It's about what _you_ want now. Not what I want."

The shorter Gem shot her a curious glance. "What _do_ you want?"

"I want . . . freedom. For me. For you. For all of us. I want to protect the Earth. I want to live here, with you." She gazed into the burbling waters, stroking Pearl's hand absentmindedly. "And you?"

"I want . . . to make you happy."

She almost dropped her hand. Hadn't she been listening to _anything_ she'd just said? The memory of Pink Diamond was so fresh in her mind; the emotions still so raw. She opened her mouth to reply harshly, but the glint of Pearl's smooth gem in the sunlight stopped her. It reminded her of someone else.

_"She loves you."_

Rose didn't break the quiet that followed. Instead, she shifted a little closer and wrapped Pearl in her arms.

The smaller Gem tensed for a second, but when Rose didn't break away, she relaxed against her. As the light faded, neither of them moved. They remained alone together, and together alone.

When Pink came hours later to retrieve them, she found not two Gems sitting on the banks, but one, her bare toes dipping into the water, her creamy tresses drifting in the breeze.

* * *

Rainbow Quartz broke apart again only a few hours later.

Garnet had gazed up at her with trusting eyes, and asked her one question.

It left Rose and her companion standing alone, the former cold, the latter confused.

Now Rose was sitting alone in the base, skirts bunched in tight fists.

She didn't feel immediately distressed; just . . . uncomfortable. Unlikeable. She had never loved herself—that was why it was such an effort to believe others did. Others' trust in her seemed impossible. And this sense of unease, one that she so often brushed off and masked with a smile, had been growing ever since she left Spinel.

But she had an _excuse_. She hadn't wanted to grow up. She hadn't _listened_. She was just like them—and just like her. Too young. Too immature. Too innocent. But loved by the other Diamonds, just the same.

They hadn't treated _Spinel_ like they had her. That was why it had been so easy to leave her behind; the contempt had driven her, had allowed her to ignore her misdeeds for decades.

But now she was finding it harder and harder to ignore them.

She buried her face in her hands. Bismuth had been self-_defence_. She couldn't be blamed for not wanting to fight, for not wanting to shatter, could she?

". . . My Quartz?"

Only one Gem ever referred to her this way. She exhaled shakily. "Pearl."

Her companion's concern was evident as she sat down next to her. "What's wrong? You . . . You just split. Did something happen?"

Rose shook her head hard. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

When she lifted her eyes to Pearl's, she could see that she hadn't fooled her.

Pearl gingerly placed her hand over Rose's fist.

"I. . ." She looked away, hiding under her raspberry fringe. "Have you ever cast someone away?"

The question took Pearl by surprise. "No . . . I . . . Oh. Yellow Pearl, and Blue Pearl. Yes."

"Why?"

Pearl seemed guilty and withdrew. "We . . . We didn't get along. They treated me like their Diamonds did, much of the time. There were moments where we were friendly, when the Diamonds were out, but . . . that was it. We were all supposed to be equals. I . . . I didn't want to feel so . . . inferior, anymore. So I avoided them."

"Do you ever regret it?"

Pearl's brow furrowed. "Well. . . sometimes. They could be nice . . . Why?"

"No reason."

They sat in silence for a while, until Pearl stood to leave.

"Wait."

The Gem stopped and looked down at her. ". . . Yes?"

"Pearl . . . am I like . . . _them_?"

She seemed confused. "The . . . The Diamonds?"

"Yes."

". . . No. I don't think so. You were always different. You . . . You always cared more, about Gems. About us. That's . . . That's why we all adored you."

Rose forced a smile, eyes downcast. "Right."

Pearl paused for a moment, and then stooped, brushing aside the pink hair. Rose started, looking up at her, and was surprised when suddenly her lips were upon her own. She didn't move away. Instead, when Pearl's hands snaked through her hair, she melted into the touch, mind blissfully blank.

When Pearl pulled away, she straightened again and held out her hand sheepishly.

"Are you ready to come back?" As Rose gazed up at her, she noticed that she was shyly avoiding eye contact. Hazily, she reached out and took the slender hand.

"Yes. I think so."

* * *

The relief was short-lived. Garnet sprang on her as soon as she saw her.

"Bismuth?" She asked again. "Have you seen her?"

Pink appeared next to her, a reassuring hand on her arm. "Garnet's been checking future timelines and she can't find Bismuth in any of them. But I just think she's too worried to think clearly."

"Oh. Bismuth." When the words left Rose's lips, she couldn't hear them. Where had she supposedly gone? What had she reasoned with herself before?

"I've . . . lost her." That's right. She hadn't left. Hadn't been shattered. Just lost.

"Lost. . .?"

"The battle yesterday. She went into it, I'm sure I saw her, but I don't know where she went afterwards." Ambiguity was the thin line separating them from despair. Keeping them from tarnished relationships. "But . . . she'll probably find her way back sooner or later. You know Bismuth. She gets distracted."

Garnet nodded hesitantly, and Pink gave her arm a squeeze. "See? I'm sure she's fine. Don't worry about her."

Rose snatched a glance at Pink. The Gem's always-searching eyes were fixed on her.

"Like you said, she'll probably be back soon, right?" came her voice.

Rose shut her eyes when she answered. "Yes. Soon."

* * *

**PROMPT: "Do one during the war, when theyre crystal gems or when pink goes to earth as rose quartz." — for AmethystBM2002 on Wattpad! Hope you enjoyed! :)**

**GOSH I'm sorry. Feels. Also Rose being lowkey shitty. But I still love her. She my baby.**

**Finally a long chapter for you all ! Thank you so much for all your support!**


	5. The Corruption

Pearl strained, struggling to push her spear and the axe embedded in it up, her back against the ground. The Quartz soldier looming above her grinned menacingly.

A few paces away, the notorious Rose Quartz succeeded in toppling another Homeworld warrior, hurriedly jabbing and poofing them with her sword. Their gem clinked harmlessly to the grass.

She caught a light out of the corner of her eye and she stopped, squinting up at the sky. Her gem flared in recognition, and she straightened, standing confused in the middle of a raging battlefield as the lights glimmered above her.

Three beams—one white, one yellow and one blue. As she watched them grow brighter with a sinking feeling in her stomach, she felt her hand tingle and glanced down in alarm to find it encased in a pink light, ready to fire at the sky in defense, or perhaps responding to the call of assistance.

Horrified, she squashed the tingling, extinguishing her hand, and guiltily covered her glowing gem with a hand. Glancing around, she zeroed in on her companions, noting with relief that the three closest were the Pearls—_her_ Pearls—and Garnet. With a twinge of regret, she wheeled around, scanning the field for more of their allies, but couldn't find any. Hurriedly sheathing her own sword in her gem, she raised her arms and threw up a wide shield.

The lights were growing brighter—there wasn't much time left. Spinning to the left, she lunged forward and grabbed Garnet around the waist with a firm arm. The fusion gave a cry of alarm as she lurched now to the right, grasping Pink by the arm and pulling the two of them behind the shield. Where was Pearl?!

She spotted her now, on her back, wrestling against a bulky Homeworld solider. She gazed at her, conflicted for a moment, before protectively hugging her companions close to her own body, well within the shield's field of protection. It was too late—she was too far away. As she screwed her eyes shut, bracing for the blast, she felt Pink cry out and struggle in her hold.

Pink stared with horror at her friend, lying out in the open, alone. The smoke was just dissipating and the recently offending Quartz's gem was lying vulnerable on the ground next to her. Pink didn't know what was happening, but she could tell it was _bad_. There was a rising sense of doom within her as sh threw her arm out and screamed.

_"Pearl! Get up!"_

Pearl snapped from her daze, eyes settling on her friend, and with effort she pushed her fatigued body from the ground, stumbling over.

_She's too slow._

The strange lights in the sky were growing brighter, brighter, and she planted a hand on Rose's shoulder, _shoving_ for leverage as she strained forward, voice breaking.

_"PEARL, NOW!"  
_

With the last of her energy, Pearl threw herself forward with a cry, fingers grazing Pink's—

The lights above _burst_, flooding the sky with a bright white—

Pink clenched her fingers _hard_ around Pearl's and _yanked_ her behind the shield, just as the light washed over the grass. Exhausted, Pearl collapsed her, trembling, and Pink wrapped her arms around her, letting the relieved tears fall.

_"Don't listen,"_ Rose hissed, and Pink cradled her best friend close, shutting her mind to the eerie song as it reached them.

* * *

The light subsided, and Rose let them go, falling forward onto her knees with a gasp. The shield dissipated.

The last echoes of song were fading as Pink sank to the ground, holding Pearl close, still sobbing ugly tears. With effort, Pearl raised her head and lifted a hand to settle on her friend's arm.

"I'm okay," she reassured, breathless. "We're okay."

They were enveloped in a crushing hug and Pink squeaked in surprise as Garnet lifted them from the ground.

"Thank the stars," the fusion sighed, and set them down, letting her visor fade away as she gazed at them with three concerned, mismatched eyes. "Pearl, Pink, are you alright? What— what _was_ that? I— I didn't see it!"

"The Diamonds," Rose breathed, and they turned to her, still trembling on her hands and knees. "They attacked— I— I _should_ have known! I should have— this is because Pink Diamond's—!"

Pink and Pearl shared a worried look.

Garnet stepped forward, summoning her visor and kneeling beside their leader, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Rose, it's okay. You didn't know. _I_ didn't know— I should have seen it."

"No, you shouldn't have!" Rose cried, wheeling around. "Because you don't know! You couldn't know!"

Garnet only gazed at her steadily, a soft question in her eyes. After a moment, Rose took a deep breath, and covered the fusion's hand in her own. "You. . . You put too much weight on your own shoulders. You can't be expected to know everything."

"And just because you're our leader, that doesn't mean you have to get everything right."

Rose was silent for a moment, then nodded miserably.

"I— should we gather the poofed gems?" Pink suggested a little helplessly. "Now that it's over. . . we should just. . . bubble them, or talk to them when they reform, right? See if they come around?"

Rose sighed. "Okay. But they'll— they'll be out for a while— . . . Diamond powers. . . you know."

Carefully extracting herself from an exhausted Pearl, Pink stood and padded the few steps to the gem her friend has poofed minutes earlier, nestled in the dry grass. As she knelt down to pick it up, she noticed something. . . different.

". . . Rose?"

The Quartz looked up. "Yes?"

Pink took the gem into her hands, examining it carefully. It wasn't cracked; on the contrary, it was as smooth as ever. But. . . ". . . It's a different colour."

Rose stood. "What?"

"Look." She held out the gem on her palm, glinting in the weak starlight. "This is a Beryl. . . right? Pink. But. . . it has green on it."

"What? How?" Rose said sharply, moving forward and taking the gem. She too scrutinised it. "This is. . . but it's not cracked? Not damaged?"

Pink shrugged. "I didn't see anything. . ."

Rose turned to Garnet. "Can you see anything? What's wrong with it?"

Garnet paused for a moment, visor glinting. It was a few seconds before her face drained of colour. "It's. . . corrupted."

"Corrupted?" Rose asked, shocked, and wheeled around, this time to Pearl. "What does that mean?"

"I think I see what it means," Pink quaked, and raised a finger to point. Her three companions followed her direction.

A dozen yards away, a Gem was reforming. It floated in the air, fluoroescent, moulding the Gem's new shape— but something was incredibly wrong. Where they expected to see a humanoid form, some sort of monster hovered with the gem at its core. When the light cleared and it thumped to the ground, all four Crystal Gems recoiled in shock.

What stood startlingly close to them looked like some vaguely avian, bipedal creature with a spattering of eyes on its furry head and lolling three enormous, grotesque tongues. With an earth-rumbling screech, it turned tail and sprinted off, receding quickly into the line of trees.

The poofed Beryl fell from numb fingers. The light was gone from somewhere deep in Rose Quartz's eyes.

"This isn't what I wanted," she breathed. "This. . . This can't be permanent, right? I. . . I just wanted to be free. To live on Earth. To free other Gems! I—" She spun around, hysterical. "I didn't mean to do this! We can fix this, right? I can fix this! I can heal!"

"Rose," Pink ventured cautiously.

"No, it's okay! I can fix this. We just need to. . . to collect all these Gems, and then I can. . . I can't cry for all of them. We can build a fountain. We'll make a healing spring and we'll fix all of these Gems. And then it'll be okay."

_"Rose,"_ Garnet said, with a little more force. Their leader stopped, frightened eyes settling on the fusion. "Rose. . . they're gone."

"But. . .!" Tears threatening to spill, Rose swiped an arm across her eyes. "Maybe. Maybe. . . but I can still try. Okay? This is _my fault_. I can still try. We can try."

* * *

**PROMPT: "can you do right before the diamond blast when rose pulls garnet and pearl into her shield" — for a Guest on FanFiction! Hope you enjoyed! :)**

**I'm sorry for the anGST *gremlin screeching***


	6. Two Pearls and a Baby

Pink blinked, staring down at the tiny creature. "But he's so. . . small!"

Greg nodded. "Humans don't start out like Gems. We're born small, and then over the years we grow."

"But that's so. . . inefficient!" Pearl scoffed. Pink could see the anger flare in her eyes. Her dainty hands trembled. "Gems are made with the information and physical capabilities ready to start work immediately! How are humans supposed to do anything at all when they're _that_ size?"

"Well. . . they don't," the man said, puzzled. "They just sort of. . . sit around. And eat. And sleep."

"Do they use the toilet you you big guys do?" Amethyst asked, poking at the baby. He giggled.

"Uhhh. . . kind of?" Greg replied. "Don't you guys know _anything_ about babies?"

The four Gems stared at him.

"Oh boy, I guess not," he said, rubbing his balding head.

"Hey, baby," Amethyst called to the helpless creature. "What's your favourite food?"

"Uh. . . he can't talk yet," Greg explained, looking baffled.

Amethyst was gobsmacked. "He can't _talk_? How come _you_ can?"

"We learn. We learn to talk and walk and go to the toilet and all that stuff as we grow up."

"Ohhh," Amethyst said, still looking confused.

"Do you play games with him?" Pink asked, wiggling her fingers over the baby. He laughed and reached out to grab them.

"Yeah, when he's not sleeping. He usually just likes to look around."

"And what did you name him, again?" Pink asked, gazing down at the giggling thing.

"Steven."

"_Ste_-ven," Pearl said with disdain. Pink laid a hand on her arm.

"Yep! Steven," Greg replied, seemingly oblivious to her tone. "Rose really liked the name. She would have called him Nora if he'd been a girl."

"Awww, how cuuutee!" Amethyst fawned.

Greg chuckled. "Yeah, I guess."

"'Steven' will soon need a nap," Garnet broke in, adjusting her visor. "We should go back to the Temple."

"Oh no, it's fine, really, you can stay as long as you want," Greg assured.

Pearl turned away and Pink shot him an apologetic look. "This has been a big day for us. Maybe we'll drop by tomorrow, okay?"

Greg raked a hand through his hair and stood when Steven gave a jaw-cracking yawn, cradling him in both arms. "Alright, sure. I'll see ya! I better go put sleepyhead to bed."

"Is that his other name?" Amethyst asked Garnet.

"No, his other name is 'Cutie-Pie'," Garnet said. Her visor glinted.

* * *

After their near-abduction of the baby, the Gems made a point of visiting almost on a daily basis. Aside from Pearl, of course, who, more often than not, holed up at the Temple. Pink couldn't persuade her otherwise, try as she might. Garnet couldn't offer any solutions either.

So it was momentous when Pearl finally agreed to come over and watch Steven with the Gems while Greg took a night off.

"It's been six months, maybe there's been an improvement," she quipped as defense.

Greg met them on the way out and briefed them on babycare. Garnet and Pink were the only ones listening.

"So. . . don't get too freaked out if he starts crying, okay? If you're really worried, you can call me."

"With what? We don't have phones," Pink pointed out.

Greg paused for a moment. "Uhh. . . I'm sure Vidalia wouldn't mind if you used the house phone. I've left my number on the notepad on the coffee table."

"A table made of coffee?" Amethyst whispered to Garnet.

Greg sighed. "Oh boy— y'know, I'm starting to think I shouldn't go out tonight."

"You need some time off, Greg," Garnet assured, again adjusting her visor. "Everything will be fine."

He gazed at her for a moment, uncertain, and drew a breath. "I hope so. . . just, don't forget to call me if you can't handle it, okay?"

"We promise, Greg," Pink smiled, strained.

"Can we play with him yet?" Amethyst whined.

Greg only chuckled. "He's still stuck on the keys, I'm afraid. But sometimes I tell him stories about his mom. It helps him get to sleep."

Pearl abruptly turned around. "Thank you, Greg."

The Gems made their way inside and watched from the window as Greg drove off. Steven was coddled in a crib by the couch, and they gathered around the baby.

He was wide awake. Warm brown eyes stared up at them, and he sneezed, accidentally spitting out his pacifier.

_"Eugh,"_ Pearl said.

"Hey, little guy," Pink cooed beside her, and picked up the strange thing, bringing it back up to his mouth. Instead of taking it, the baby reached up and grasped her finger in a feathery grip.

"Awww!" she squeaked. "Look at him!"

"He likes you," Garnet smiled.

"That's not fair!" Amethyst whined. "He's only just met her! I bet he'd like _me_ more."

Pink pulled her finger from his grip and instead wiggled her digits over his face. The baby giggled, throwing his hands up to swat playfully at them.

". . . He is rather cute," Pearl admitted.

"Isn't he just?" Pink fawned, cooing to the baby. "Aren't you so sweet? My name's 'Pink'! That's right! _Piiiiinnkk._"

He dropped his hands, interested eyes boring into her intently. She thought she saw them moved behind her for a moment before he smiled, and, in a brilliant moment of word association, said: _"Ma."_

Pearl gasped. "How did you make him do that? Greg said he can't talk yet!"

"It looks like little Steven's learned his first word," Garnet smiled.

"Aw, cool! He's learning already!" Amethyst stuck her face over the side of the crib. "I'm Amethyst! _A-meh-thyst._"

He gazed at her for a moment, deciding, and then turned back to Pink. _"Ma!"_

Pink squeaked. "Awww! _He's so adorable!_ Let's call Greg!"

_"No,"_ Pearl blurted, and then composed herself. "Greg said to only call for an emergency. A first word is hardly an emergency."

"It's still important!" Pink quipped, and stepped away from the crib to leave.

_"Ma! Ma!"_ came the loud call from the blankets. She abruptly turned back and reached over.

"Hey, Steven! It's okay! I'm right here. Why don't you let them look after you for a minute?"

_"Ma,"_ he said stubbornly. His eyes drifted over her shoulder. _"Ma,"_ he said again.

Pink turned. Mounted on the wall behind her was a portrait of Rose Quartz, soft pinks blended in light brush strokes. She turned back to the baby, stepping aside.

_"Ma,"_ he repeated, eyes on the portrait. He looked at Pink, held out his arms, and whined.

"He wants you to pick him up," Garnet said, and gave her a nudge.

_"Really?"_ Pink's eyes sparkled. Hesitantly, she leaned over the bars and reached for him, gingerly lifting him from the blankets, which he eagerly kicked away. He was wearing a yellow baby suit today—_wasn't there already enough yellow in this house?_—with the buttons over his tummy undone, exposing his gem to the mild air. Cradling him in her arms, she tickled him, making him laugh. "Wow, he's so light! He's _way_ lighter than you, Amethyst!"

"That's because _I_ eat proper food," Amethyst scoffed. "He only eats goo!"

Holding him under the arms, Pink held him out to the Gems. "Look! This is your family!"

"Don't drop him," Pearl cautioned.

Amethyst nudged her. "Awww, P, you're not _worried_ about him, are you?"

Pearl huffed. "_No,_ but you three would never see him again if he got injured under our watch."

"She's right, isn't she," Pink sighed, and brought him back to her chest, bouncing him a little. "And I'd hate to never see _you_ again!"

"Pink, Pink, can I hold him?" Amethyst shuffled a little closer, holding her arms out eagerly.

"Okay, okay, but be careful!" She laughed and gingerly transferred the baby. Amethyst's eyes blew wide.

"You're right, he _is_ light! He's like, even smaller than the burrito I had the other day!"

Pearl rolled her eyes. "I doubt that monstrosity has even left your system yet."

"This morning," Amethyst informed, a little unnecessarily. Pearl looked repulsed, and Amethyst sniffed, looking down at the baby. "Hey, I don't think I'm the only one who's passed something in the past few hours. How do we clean this thing?"

* * *

Six months later, and the Gems were at Vidalia's, throwing a party for Steven. Greg planned to move into his van in the coming months, so they decided they should spoil the baby while he still had wriggle-room.

"I can't believe he's a year old already," Pink gushed.

"We got him keys!" Amethyst declared, handing Greg a large gift box. When he took the lid off, he squinted at the pile inside, reaching almost to the top of the box.

"Uhh, guys, thanks, but I don't think he needs this many keys." Gingerly, he reached inside, plucking out a jingling carabiner and examining the keys on it. "This one says. . . 116, Jervis Road."

"Oh, yeah," Amethyst said dismissively. "There was like, a bunch of free keys in every car in the street!"

_"Amethyst!"_ Greg looked horrified.

"Mama!" Steven whined, throwing his arms out to Pink. She gladly scooped him up.

"How's my favourite human?"

"Hey," Greg said, looking hurt. Then: "Wait. 'Mama'?"

"Yeah! That's what he calls me," Pink said brightly. She turned and pointed at the Gems. "That's 'Garget', that's 'Amfist' and. . . I don't think he has a name for you, Pearl."

"Well, I don't see him that much," Pearl sniffed.

Greg looked confused. "You see him every weekend."

"What she means to say is: She doesn't care about him that much," Amethyst supplied helpfully.

Pearl looked scandalised. _"Amethyst!"_

"I'm sure she does care about him. But Pearl doesn't engage with him very often." Garnet stepped between them and looked at Pearl. "Why don't you give him a hold today?"

Pearl looked as if she had been sucker-punched in the gut. "Well, I— I hardly—"

"C'mon, Pearl!" Pink agreed, and she moved closer to her friend, holding the boy out. "Here take him; and you hold him like this." She adjusted Pearl's arms a little, ensuring he had support underneath him, and then stepped back. She squealed. "Aw, _precious!_"

Pearl flushed. "Uh, well, he is rather—"

Baby Steven silenced her with a hand to her mouth. "Mama mama," he said, staring at her pointedly. Then, he squirmed around to look at Pink and flung a hand out. "Mama!"

"Oh boy," Greg said, sagging against the couch.

As Steven's whining picked up, Pink stepped closer and lifted him from Pearl's arms, cooing to him. "Hey, it's okay. You don't need to cry! 'Mama''s right here!"

Next, Steven spun around, reaching out and grabbing onto Pearl's skirt. "Mama mama!"

Pink stopped, confused. "Do you want to go back to her?"

"Mama mama," Steven affirmed, and he was taken into her arms again. When Pink began to move away a strong little hand shot out, tugging on her hair and pulling her closer. When the Pearls were shoulder-to-shoulder, cradling him in two sets of arms, he sighed, satisfied, and snuggled into their embrace.

"That is _soooo_ cute!" Amethyst cried, and laughed at Pearl. "You should see your face! You're 'mama mama' now!"

"We're both mamas!" Pink said proudly.

"Do you guys know what 'mama' means?" Greg asked, looking drained.

"Of course we do! It's us!"

Greg rubbed at his eyes. "Oh boy."

Unsettled by the commotion, Steven squirmed in their hold, eyes settling on something across the room. He pointed. "Mama."

The Gems followed his eyes to the portrait mounted on the wall. Greg's eyes stayed fixed on the floor.

"That's. . . Mama?" Pearl asked, disbelievingly.

Greg nodded. "That's his mom, alright."

Pink's eyes watered. "You mean—"

"You've officially been adopted," Garnet smiled, and stepped behind them to wrap her arms around them. "I think you make great moms for baby Steven."

* * *

"Guys! _Guys!_"

Twelve-year-old Steven raced up the stairs to the beach house, duffel bag slung over his shoulder and pillow tucked under his arm. As soon as he flung the door open he dumped his bags in the entryway and flung himself into the Pearls' joint embrace.

"Welcome home, Steven!" Pink cried, and knelt down to squeeze him tight, strawberry locks tumbling over her shoulders.

"Hey, little man!" Amethyst joined, and gave him a quick hug before stepping back and gesturing. "This is like, all yours! The kitchen, the living room—"

"And we built a bedroom for you in the loft!" Pearl interrupted eagerly, pulling back and pointing up the stairs. "It's your own little living platform!"

"You can still visit Greg, of course," Garnet assured. "We offered for him to move in but he'd rather stay in his van. Here he comes now."

Steven turned, scanning the beach. "Where?" Greg's head appeared above the deck as he climbed the stairs. "Ohhh. There. How'd you know?!"

Garnet smiled. "It's a secret."

"Wow, schtu-ball, look at this place!" Greg stood in the doorway, awed by the sight. His eyes settled on the loft. "Hey, is that your bedroom?"

"Yeah! The Gems made it just for me!"

Greg coughed. "Well, I might've helped a _little_ bit. . ." The air was then promptly knocked out of him as Steven rushed forward and threw his arms around him. Greg laughed, a little breathless. "Aw, it's okay, little man! I'm sure you'll love it here with the Gems."

"I will!" Steven promised. "And I'll miss you! I'll come and visit you every day!"

"Now, don't make promises you can't keep, Steven," Garnet smiled affectionately.

"I know you'll come see me, Steven," Greg chuckled, and leaned down to plant a kiss on his head. "Well, I just came by to check on ya, make sure you settled in. It's a long walk from the carwash!"

"Daaaad, it's only a mile!" Steven whined.

Greg smiled sheepishly, turning for the door. "Well, it's a father's licence to worry. Now, don't you go making trouble for the Gems! I'll see ya!"

"I won't!" Steven promised, running back to hug the Pearls. They two complied happily, sinking to their knees to embrace him proper. Though Steven had ceased calling them 'Mama' now, through the window, Garnet could see happy tears sparkling in Greg's eyes as he watched them.

She smiled.

* * *

**PROMPTS: "Steven Universe as a baby and the two Pearl's reaction to him calling them mom." — for KingCobra_blackdiamondson on Archive of Our Own**

**"If you want a request... Steven getting raised by TWO pearls." — part one of (hopefully) many for Kaoupa on Archive of Our Own! Hope you enjoyed! :3**

**Citizens of Beach City: do not leave your keys in your cars. The crime demographic may be low in your town, but the rate is high for one purple individual.**


	7. Gem Glow

It was a sunny day. The seaside town of Beach City was pleasantly quiet.

_ "NOOOOOOO!"_

Er, well . . . almost.

Inside the Big Donut, Steven Universe was standing shocked in front of the mini freezer.

"This can't be happening! This has to be a dream!" he spun around, making a beeline for the shorter shop assistant and wrapping his arms around her. "Lars, _Lars_! Please tell me I'm dreaming!"

Lars didn't act favourably to being tackled.

"Get off me, man! I'm stockin' here!"

He wriggled out of his grasp and walked away, leaving Steven to slap pathetically to the linoleum. At the counter, the cashier winced.

"I'm sorry, Steven . . . I guess they stopped making them," Sadie said, leaning over.

"Stopped _making_ them?" Steven clambered to his knees. "Why in the world would they stop making _Cookie Cats_? They're only the most scrumptious and delicious ice cream sandwich ever made! _Don't they have laws for this?_"

Across the shop, Lars groaned. "Tough bits, man, nobody buys them anymore." He dumped a box on the floor and crouched to unpack the contents onto the lowest shelves. "I guess they couldn't compete with _Lion Lickers_."

Steven was beside himself. "Not Lion Lickers! Nobody likes them!" He stood and trudged over to the themed freezer against the wall, gazing through the frosted glass at the drippy treats inside. The black bubblegum eyes stained the ice cream around them, and the mouths were lopsided. "They don't even look like lions! Kids these days, I'll tell you what!"

Across the room, Lars stood up, smirking. "Well, if you miss your wimpy ice cream so much, why don't you make some with your _maaaagic bellybutton_?"

"That's not how it works, Lars!" he cried, the teen sniggering as he walked past. ". . . Right?"

He lifted the hem of his pink shirt, gazing down at the pink gem set against his navel. He squished his plump tummy around the jewel, willing for something to happen, but there was so response. He sighed, drifting back to the Cookie Cat freezer. "Oh, sweet Cookie Cats, with their crunchy cookie outside . . . their icy creamy insides. . ." As he spoke, he drew the well-known shape on the frosty glass, and, in a melodramatic display, he gave the picture a soft kiss. "You were too good for this world. . ."

Sadie stared at him from the counter. "Uhh . . . Steven? Do you wanna take the freezer with you?"

The boy gave a tearful nod.

* * *

Steven jogged happily across the sand, freezer cords fashioned into backpack straps. In a matter of seconds he was up the slope and lugging the freezer on his back up the stairs, swinging through the front door.

"Hey guys! You won't believe thi—"

And in a flash, he was knocked to the ground. When his eyes refocussed, he found himself staring into the eye of some sort of monster. Its jaws snapped just centimetres from his face, and he screamed.

A whip lashed around the creature's middle and he looked up to see Amethyst standing across the room, her hands on the weapon's hilt.

"'Sup, Steven," she drawled. She heaved on the whip and the creature went sailing through the air.

"Hi, Steven!" Pink called from across the room, batting at a group of them with her lance.

On top of the warp pad, Pearl was fending off attacks from multiple creatures with her spear. With a graceful pirouette she aimed a kick at one of the offenders, sending it sprawling, and whacked another across the room with her spear. Garnet snatched it from the air and, imprisoned in her gauntlets, it was squeezed until it poofed in a cloud of greenish smoke.

As Steven watched, Pink darted after some getaways, and Pearl tried (unsuccessfully, for the most part) to haul one out from under the coffee table. All over the room, creatures were swinging from the ceiling, chewing cushions and snapping at the TV.

"Awesome!" he said as he set the freezer down. He watched one scuttle in front of him. "What are these things?"

Pearl huffed. "Sorry, Steven. We'll get these centipeetles out of your room." She picked one up and held it fast. It squirmed, head peeking over her arms. "We think they were trying to get into the Temple."

"Aw, you don't have to get rid of them," Steven said, sidling up beside her. "They're really cool!"

It was at that moment the creature decided to spit a gob of acid onto the floor in front of them. As he watched, the wooden planks fizzled and melted, leaving a great hole in the floor.

"Sweet," Amethyst said, craning over the hole.

A few paces away, Pink stabbed another centipeetle with her lance, poofing it immediately. "Am I the first one to notice that the centipeetles don't have any gems?"

"That means there must be a mother somewhere nearby." Steven looked up at Garnet, now standing beside him. A centipeetle reared up next to her, jaws open, and received a fist to the face for its trouble. It poofed almost immediately.

"We should probably find it before anyone gets hurt," Pearl murmured, struggling centipeetle still held firmly to her torso.

"Oo, ooh, can I come? Can I? Can I?"

Steven whipped to Garnet, eyes pleading.

"Of course you can!" Pink smiled, dusting her hands as she walked over.

Pearl shot her a cautious look and turned back to the boy. "Steven, until you learn to control the powers in your gem, _we'll_ take care of protecting humanity." She made a deft movement with her centipeetle and it poofed. "Okay?"

"Aw, man. . ." It was at that moment he noticed a centipeetle at the fridge, scrabbling at the shelves. "Hey! Get outta there!"

He ran at it and it scampered away, leaving the milk upturned on the floor. "Go on! Shoo, shoo!"

He turned and saw yet another centipeetle a few feet away, this time with a can clamped in its jaws. He sighed. "They got into everything! Not cool!"

Garnet delivered a swift punch and the incriminating creature was sent flying across the room. He shook his head, eyes returning to the freezer. He gasped.

Dozens of cat icons set against pink wrapping grinned back at him.

"No way. . ." he breathed, reaching out and grabbing one. "It can't be! Wh— Where did you get these? I thought they stopped making them!"

Pearl walked up and shut the freezer door. She shot him a proud little smile. "Weeell, we heard that too, and since they're your favourite—"

Amethyst vaulted herself onto the countertop beside them. "We went out and stole a bunch!"

Pearl growled, hands on hips. "_I_ went back and _paid_ for them."

"The whole thing was _my_ idea," Garnet said, once again suddenly beside them. She held up her hands and her gauntlets dissipated in whorls of magenta light.

"It was everyone's idea," Amethyst corrected.

"Not really."

Pink stepped up, soothing the Gems. "Hey hey, all that matters is that Steven is happy."

The boy burst into the Cookie Cat jingle, startling Pearl.

_"He's a frozen treat, with an all new taste;  
'Cause he came to this planet from outer space!  
A refugee of an interstellar war—  
But now he's at your local grocery store!  
_

_Cookie Cat!  
He's a pet for your tummy!  
Cookie Cat!  
He's super duper yummy!  
Cookie Cat!  
He left his family behind!  
Cookie Caaaaat. . ._

_Now available at Gurgens' off Route 109!"_

The Gems burst into laughter. Garnet even gave an appreciative applause.

Steven turned to Pearl, and then to Pink. "I can't believe you did this! I'm gonna save these forever! . . . Right after I eat this one."

He tore off the wrapping and gazed at the ice cream treat. "Hello, old friend."

He took a bite and closed his eyes in delight, chewing slowly. As the Gems watched, his gem began to glow from beneath his shirt, casting a pink light over the kitchen.

Steven, oblivious, went on rambling. "Mmh, so good! I like to eat the ears first."

Pearl covered her mouth with a hand.

Pink squealed. "Steven!"

Looking up, he suddenly noticed the light filtering through the material of his shirt and gasped, yanking the hem up. "Wha—? My gem!"

"Quick!" Amethyst cried. "Try and summon your weapon!"

"I don't know how!" as he spoke, the light began to fade, and he pranced about in a panic. "It's fading! How do I make it come back!"

"Calm down Steven, breathe," Pearl offered, taking a step towards him. "Don't force it—"

Meanwhile, Steven was a sweaty mess, staring desperately at her.

". . . Yeah, and try not to poop yourself, either," Amethyst put in.

"Please, don't," Garnet agreed.

Pink looked scandalised. "Don't you two have any faith in Steven?"

"Yeah!" Amethyst agreed, turning to Garnet. "Don't you two have any faith in Steven?"

Steven didn't have time to question the statement before the light retracted back into his gem, and everyone sighed. Disappointed, Steven dumped himself on the floor.

"Aw, I was really close that time!" his shoulders slumped and he stood, putting the now-melting treat back into the freezer, and turned back to the Gems. "Can one of you just explain how to summon a weapon?"

"Oh!" Pearl raised a hand, grinning, and spoke in a sing-song voice. _"I'll go first!"_

* * *

Steven sat on a grassy hill, legs crossed, gazing expectantly up at Pearl. She stood in the shade of a flowering cherry blossom tree, fallen petals twirling about her in the gentle breeze.

"Pay attention to these petals, Steven," she said, smile soft, and held a hand out. "The petals' dance _seems_ improvised, but it is being calculated in real time based on the physical properties of this planet!" Steven blinked. Pearl only forged on, oblivious, voice growing in volume and confidence with every enunciation. "With hard work, and dedication, _you_ can master the magical properties of your gem, and perform your _own_ dance!"

She brought her hands together, thumbs perpendicular to aligned fingers in a triangular shape around her gem, and Steven watched, entranced, as it lit up and she threw her hands out, summoning from the gem a spiralled blade. The grabbed the hilt and held it up, the spear handle extending out, and then with a flourish she twirled it above her head, shifting her grip further up the handle and bringing the base down onto the ground, standing proudly with her summoned weapon.

Opening her eyes, she held out a hand and an errant petal settled neatly in her palm. She shot Steven a self-satisfied look. "Like so."

He gazed at her, confused for a moment, before dropping his gaze to the carpet of petals around him. He gathered some in his hands with a grimace.

Half an hour later he stood outside the Big Donut with Amethyst cupping the same handful of petals. He flung them into the air where they fell as pink rain.

"Did Pearl tell you the petal thing?" Amethyst sounded unimpressed.

"Yeah . . . I have to practice really hard so I can dance like a tree . . . I think."

"Listen Steven, all that practice stuff is no fun," Amethyst told him, taking a bite out of her doughnut. "Whenever I _need_ to summon my weapon, it just happens."

Her gem glowed instantaneously and she pulled out her whip, twirling it around her head before she lashed out and struck the nearby skip bins. They split in half, spilling their stale doughnut contents over the path.

"See?" she smiled proudly, snack in hand. "Didn't try at all."

Steven scratched his head. He was startled by a shrill gasp and looked up to find Lars running from the back of the shop to the savaged bins. "Again?!"

Next, he went to Pink, and relayed this new information to her. She tapped her chin with a finger. "Hm. Yeah, that sounds about right."

"What?" Steven asked, weakly.

"I mean," she corrected, "It makes sense for them. Pearl's a very meticulous Gem and Amethyst would rather rely on her feelings, which is completely fine. My way of summoning my weapon is more in the middle—I feel it into existence but it takes concentration to draw it out."

Steven scratched his head, and Pink gave him a sympathetic smile. "Maybe you should go to Garnet."

Steven's audience with Garnet didn't help much either. He met her on top of the grassy cliff, by the lighthouse.

"So I'm supposed to work really hard and not try at all at the same time?" Steven asked her, confused.

"Yes."

He stood there forlornly, wind ruffling his hair.

_ "Or. . ."_

Steven didn't pick up any of what she said after, but it sounded like a lot. He was left feeling more confused than ever.

* * *

"I think my best bet is to recreate what happened last time my gem glowed—soo. . ."

Back at the house, Steven pointed in turn to the counter and the fusion's previous spot beside it. "Garnet and Amethyst were here."

The two sidled back to their respective positions.

"Pearl was next to the fridge—"

When he turned, Pearl was already standing there, looking confused (for once).

"Pink—"

She stepped up to her spot behind him, completing the semicircle around the fridge.

"Hmmm. . ." The boy thought for a moment. "Amethyst, I think your arms were crossed?"

Amethyst smirked and folded them for him. "Okay, Your Majesty."

"Pink, you had your hands on your hips." She followed his direction, a faint smile on her face.

"And Pearl! Your foot was like this." He bent down and adjusted it for her.

"I don't think it works this way Steven," she said cautiously.

"And Garnet—" He grabbed her face and tilted it back a little. She followed his direction limply. "Uhhh . . . yeah."

He grabbed his half-eaten Cookie Cat from the fridge and tore off the wrapper. (Pearl bent discreetly to pick it up.) ". . . Then I took a bite of this Cookie Cat."

He scrunched his eyes shut and took a little nibble. When he opened them, there was no pearly light to be seen. He sighed dejectedly.

"Maybe I'm not a real Crystal Gem."

Pearl sat down next to him. "Don't be silly, Steven. Of course you are!"

"And you're fun to have around, even if your gem _is_ useless!" Amethyst put in.

Pearl growled, and Pink gave her a pointed look.

"I meeaann. . . You're, one of us, Steven," the shorter Gem amended. "We're not the Crystal Gems without you." Though her tone was playful, her smile was warm and genuine. Garnet nodded to affirm her point, and Pink knelt down beside him.

"Steven, even if you have trouble with you gem, you're still family, and we love you! We're here to help you with the weird Gem stuff, okay? You'll get it eventually, and we'll be here to watch it."

Steven's eyes shone. "Yeah! Even if I don't have powers, I've still got . . . Cookie Cat!"

Pink giggled as he took another delighted bite of the treat. Pearl looked a little disappointed.

"So good!" he murmured, and it was at that moment his gem decided to light up again.

As Steven munched on, oblivious, multiple beams of light expanded from his gem and meshed together, revealing a pink shield in a flash of light, hovering in the air before him.

Garnet, Amethyst and Pink gasped in unison.

Pearl responded in quiet amazement. "Steven . . . it's a. . .!"

"Shield!" Pink broke in, excitedly.

He opened his eyes, confused, and immediately locked onto the floating weapon. "Whoa, what! I get a shield? _Yes!_"

At his excited outburst, the gem's hold on the weapon broke and it was sent flying, bouncing comically off walls and the floor, pinballing around the room before it embedded itself in the television with a smash.

". . . Wow," Pink murmured.

Amethyst burst out laughing.

Pearl squeezed the bridge of her nose with her fingers, brow creased.

Glancing at the treat in his hand, Steven had a brainwave. "Cookie Cat! I summoned my weapon by eating _ice cream_!"

"What's _in_ these things?" Pearl murmured, turning the packet over in her hands.

She stiffened when a deep quaking ran through the house. Dozens of shapes crawled past the windows with a low rumble.

Steven's shield dissipated, leaving the television dented and irretrievable.

"What was that?" he asked, hushed for once.

The four Gems ran outside with Garnet in the lead. They all craned their heads.

"It's the mother," Garnet said, and with a burst of impressive energy, she launched herself onto the temple statue, leaping up its face to reach the leviathan creature.

"Stay _in_ the house, Steven!" Pearl called sternly.

Steven was in disbelief. "No way, I'm coming too!"

He ran back into the house, gathering an armful of branded ice cream sandwiches, and a tangled bunch of extension cords (from who knows where).

Outside, Garnet landed a strong kick to the creature's head and scrambled down to the beach. Pink, Pearl and Amethyst followed, leaping off the balcony and onto the grass behind her. Barely giving them time to adjust, the creature reared above them and let loose a stream of acid. They all scattered.

They barely had time to shelter behind the half-buried stone hand of the Temple before they were rained on with more of the sizzling substance. Their makeshift shield began to melt almost immediately under the onslaught and Amethyst groaned. "We could really use Steven's shield right about now!"

Pink sighed. "He can't even control it yet!"

The stream of acid dissipated and the Gems all looked around to see Steven standing before the giant centipeetle. He set the Cookie Cat freezer (with its many extension cords trailing behind) firmly on the ground. "Leave them alone!"

All four Gems peered around the stone hand and cried out in unison. "Steven, _no_!"

"Cookie Cat Crystal Combo powers _activate_!" the latter cried in typically dramatic fashion, shoving the rest of said treat in his mouth.

Needless to say, nothing happened, and Steven was sent running with his freezer to (not-so) safety.

"We need to save Steven!" Pearl cried, and hurriedly ducked before the creature's snapping behind could behead her. It cut into the stone instead, effectively halving the area of their barricade.

"Can we save _ourselves_ first?" Amethyst yelled.

"But _how_?" Pink cried.

By this time, Steven had gobbled all the treats in a panic, but the only response he was getting from his chubby little body was a gurgle from his stomach. _"Why isn't it working?!"_

The creature roared and spat a stream of acid at him, and he leapt away, hearing a hissing noise and looking down to realise that a few droplets had caught his sandal and were eating away at the rubber.

"Steven!" Garnet cried, popping up from behind the stone half-hand, and the monster dropped its tail-end claws down upon them, Garnet barely managing to catch the things in time and straining to keep them in place. Pink summoned her lance and stood to ram it against the claws, pushing them back with Garnet. Feeling the resistance, the creature turned back to the sheltering Gems.

Steven lifted his head at the call, only to gasp in horror. A few feet away, his empty Cookie Cat freezer lay, half-melted and sparking pathetically.

"No," he cried, and ran over. "No, no no no no no no!" The metal was dented, and the glass broken, and Steven hung his head. "Cookie Cat. . . he's the pet for your tummy."

The Gems withdrew behind the hand again when the rabid creature bared down on them, acid onslaught returning—but not before Pink got the chance to hurl her lance at the thing. It clunked pathetically against the creature's segmented body and then fell to the sand, dissipating on contact.

Feeling a surge of anger, Steven stood, clenching his fists. "Cookie Cat—he's super duper yummy!" He grabbed the limp cord and ran to the monster, dragging the sparking machine behind him. _"Cookie Cat—he left his family behind!"_ And then, with all his strength, he lassoed the freezer into the air and then threw it, watching as it arced up into the air and landed on the creature's back. The thing screamed as electricity coursed through its body, shocking its hair out into spikes and lighting its body up with a fierce white light.

"Now available. . . nowhere," Steven mourned, and dropped to his knees on the sand.

"Yes!" Amethyst emerged from behind the makeshift barricade, giving a fist-pump.

Pink emerged beside her and cupped her hands around her mouth. _"Go, Steven!"_

"Gems, weapons," Garnet commanded, and in a flash of light they exploded out from behind stone hand, obliterating what was left of it, backlit by the dimming sunlight and standing tall, sparkling with the residues of the summons.

"Let's do it," Garnet said, and her companions nodded in unison before they all rushed forward, raising their weapons—

The creature exploded in a billow of glittering smoke, leaving the green banded gem to drop to the sand. Garnet bubbled it and sent it away.

Behind her, Steven pushed the dirt back over the hole he had made, sealing the last Cookie Cat wrapper in its shallow grave. "Farewell sweet Cookie Cats," he said, eyes wet, and stuck a leaf into the small mound as a marker. "I'll always remember the time we spent together."

His belly grumbled. "Shh, hush now."

Amethyst crouched behind him. "Are you crying?"

_ "Only a little!"_

"Leave him alone, Ame," Pink said, ruffling her hair before sitting beside Steven. "Well. . . I guess your powers don't come from ice cream!"

"Of course they don't come from ice cream," Pearl said, walking up and crouching by his other side. "Don't worry Steven. I'm sure someday you'll figure out how to activate your gem."

"Yes," came Garnet's voice, and they both looked up to find her smiling down at them, hands on her hips. "In your own Steven-y way."

Pink wound her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, which he tolerated for a moment before gingerly pushing back. "I'm okay, guys! I just—" his stomach gurgled, and he clutched at it, looking a little green. "Uh, I think I ate too many Cookie Cats." Pink promptly moved out of the way.

After regurgitating his stomach contents onto the makeshift grave, Steven found he felt a lot better. He ate another ice cream sandwich to celebrate.


	8. Together Breakfast

"Isn't it awful? Pearl organised _everything_."

Steven glanced around, confused. "Still looks messy to me."

"Aww, thanks! I try," Amethyst gushed, and promptly booted a pile of junk across the room, scattering the contents. A tattered shirt sailed over Steven's head, and he ducked.

"Awh, what's that, Steven?" Evidently, Amethyst had noticed his plate.

"It's a Together Breakfast!" he said smugly.

"Alright, _snacks_!" Amethyst lunged forward and he hurriedly snatched the plate out of reach.

"No! It's for everyone to eat together! That's the essence of Together Breakfast."

The purple Gem ignored him, lunging forward again, and he scrambled off the pile he was sitting on, holding the plate aloft and bolting off across the room, skirting trash piles and running into a rocky tunnel opening in the wall. "We have to eat it together!"

Amethyst darted after him, hot on his heels. "You can't outrun me!" came her playful shout. "We both have short legs!"

He pushed harder, legs almost a blur as they two pelted down the tunnel. He could feel it going steeply downhill and almost tripped on his sandals, deciding to kick them off and minimise the chances of him getting tripped up. Down, down, down they seemed to go, the tunnel getting darker, darker, until it forked in two, and Steven dashed off down the left passage. Soon, it opened out into another room, a tinted pink space peppered with graceful cherry blossom trees and matching orchid-pink bushes.

There was a slim figure standing in the middle of the room, and Steven darted over for protection. A few steps away and the figure whipped around in surprise. Steven barely managed to hold his arm out to save the plate as he smacked into the person.

"Steven?!"

He extracted himself from the Gem and jumped behind her. "Pink! Hide me from Amethyst!"

The aforementioned Gem barrelled into view. _"Steven's got foooooodd!"_

"Amie!" Pink squeaked, and threw her arms out, barely catching and halting her. "Poor Steven! Leave him alone!"

"But he said he made it for me!" Amethyst whined.

"For _us_," Steven corrected from behind his guardian. "We're all supposed to eat it together!"

"What's this?" Pink asked, turning around, keeping a careful hold on Amethyst.

"It's a Together Breakfast!" Steven said proudly, holding it up for her to see. "Since you guys weren't around, I made it myself! So all of us could sit and eat together, y'know, like best buds!"

"Woooow," Pink breathed, gazing at the plate. "That's one big breakfast!"

"And I'm _hungry_!" Amethyst cried, trying to wrest herself out of Pink's grip, but her adversary was strong and tackled her.

"Steven, _run_!" Pink cried, desperation in her voice. "Save your beautiful breakfast!"

He didn't need to be told twice. He turned and bolted, scampering across cotton-candy grass and into yet another, shorter tunnel, which opened out into—a room full of. . . clouds? Pink, fluffy clouds! He tentatively took a step forward.

Those clouds weren't solid.

He fell, screeching, past pink fluff, rocky walls, ruby tubes, and on instinct threw an arm out, latching onto a smaller tube, scrabbling for a moment, losing his grip and thunking a few feet to the large tube below. He checked his plate and breathed a sigh of relief—still perfect.

Below him, Garnet strode towards what looked like a pool of lava—_so cool!_—in the centre of the room. She was carrying the voodoo scroll from earlier and his phone. As he watched, she effortlessly snapped the phone in half (he sighed in disappointment) and dropped it into the lava, watching as it bubbled and sunk. Next, she lowered the scroll gradually into the molten rock with an eerie shriek, and Steven watched in awe as it dissipated on contact, leaving behind a black smoke that Garnet immediately bubbled.

Carefully, Steven slid down and off the tube, padding quietly behind Garnet. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and a whisper at his ear.

_"Steven, we're getting you out of here."_

He turned to find Pearl, Amethyst and Pink loitering, anxious expressions fixed.

"Oh, this is great!" he cried. "We're all together!"

Garnet turned, gasping in surprise, and he saw the bubble falter before she hurriedly stabilised it again.

"We can finally eat!" he said, louder, holding the breakfast high. He glanced at Amethyst in anticipation, but even her face was pinched. "I mean, we don't have any forks, but we can use our hands! I'm not gonna judge!"

_"Steven! Go!"_ Garnet cried, straining as the bubble wobbled again. Pearl and Amethyst rushed over. Pink stayed behind, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Steven, why don't you come with me? I'll take you out of the temple and back to the kitchen."

"Oh, okay! You guys wanna meet there?"

Garnet's attention was divided; the bubble popped. Black smoke rose into the air and billowed across the ceiling like a great stormcloud.

The Gems summoned their weapons. Pink stepped in front of Steven.

"It's trying to escape!" Garnet shouted, "Force it back!" She darted forward and dealt a vicious punch to the apparently solid smoke, sending its creeping tendrils back up to the main body.

Pink nudged him and Steven turned to run, only making it a few steps when the ground shook beneath him and he shot a glance over his shoulder to see the smoke billowing after him. It had punched in the ground where he had stood moments before.

Amethyst now jumped in front of him, lashing at the stuff with her whip. "Get! Back!"

Pearl stabbed at the smoke with her spear and Garnet threw another solid punch. In retaliation, the smoke reared up and shot towards Steven, connecting with the plate he held up in defense and throwing him across the room.

_"Steven!"_ All three Gems cried in unison.

He sat up, giving a dazed groan, and opened his eyes to find the smoke sinking into the breakfast. As he watched in horror, the food jiggled, and then _expanded_, bulging out and rising up with a roar. He screamed—a lance pierced the food with a sharp _sching!_ and the animated breakfast paused. Pink now stood, weaponless, with Pearl beside her, who waved her own spear threateningly.

"It's taken refuge in organic matter!" Pearl cried, and no sooner had the words left her lips that the food shot towards her a globule of cream and she and Pink were sent arcing across the chamber, glued to the opposing wall in the sweet sticky stuff.

"Now it has all the power of a breakfast," Garnet affirmed, lowering her stance. "We have to destroy it!"

On the wall, Pearl shrieked as the cream oozed over her. _"Aaaghh! It's horrible!"_

The breakfast plucked Pink's lance from its gooey hide and promptly snapped it in half. The weapon dissipated in a flash of sparks. Next, it incarcerated Garnet by encasing her gauntlet in popcorn-studded cream. Amethyst grabbed her and tried to pull her away.

"I didn't want this!" Steven cried, struggling to push the food on top of him away with his measly plate. "I just wanted to eat together like family!"

"Steven, you've got to get away!" Garnet responded, still struggling with her trapped gauntlet.

"But my breakfast!" he squeaked, and at that moment the monstrous thing launched an enormous waffle at the remaining Gems, smashing them into the wall beside the Pearls.

Watching the once-breakfast torment the Gems, Steven felt something in him harden. _"That's enough!"_ Straining with all his might, he struggled to his feet, shoving the food back as hard as he could. "I don't care if you are the most important meal of the DAY!"

He grunted in exertion, driving the food-monster back toward the lava pool. "I made you to bring us together, _not to tear us apart!_" With one final shove, the breakfast was pushed into the bubbling magma and with a shriek it burst apart, littering the room with globules of cream and soggy dough.

From the wall, Garnet and Amethyst emerged from the oversized waffle, and the Pearls struggled from the gluey cream. Panting, they padded tentatively over to the pool and around Steven.

"I'm sorry guys." Steven sagged, and Pearl and Amethyst rested their hands on his shoulders in comfort. ". . . I guess I dreamed too big."

* * *

Semi-gloved hands pushed waffles into the toaster, and Amethyst stuffed microwaveable bags into the mini-oven.

A few minutes later, the waffles were launched into the air and caught in perfect timing. Garnet stacked them perfectly on a dinner plate and Pearl carefully drizzled them in maple syrup.

The microwave pinged and opened, packets of popped corn tumbling out, which were then promptly emptied onto still-steaming waffle stacks. Pink stepped in and squeezed a perfect twirl on cream onto the top, then lifting Steven who, with great precision, placed a fat strawberry on its fluffy bed.

The Gems stood back to admire their work.

"It looks great!" Steven grinned, eyes sparkling. "It's even more Together and even more Breakfast!"

They stared at the plate for a moment.

The waffle towers were daunting.

The popcorn overflowed.

The strawberry loomed over it all from its luscious cream cushion.

". . . I don't think I can eat this," Steven admitted, looking sheepishly up to the Gems.

"Let's order pizza," Amethyst suggested, and the group nodded in unanimous agreement.

"That sounds much better."

"Yeah, pizza's a great idea!"

"It's good."

"It did try to kill us," Garnet finished brightly.

* * *

**PROMPT: "If you want a request... Steven getting raised by TWO pearls." — another part for Kaoupa on Archive of Our Own! Hope you enjoyed! :3**

**Gosh I love Pink Pearl. What a frickin' sweetie.**


	9. Jailbreak

He gazed in at the red figure hunched against the wall.

"Um . . . hello? Are you okay?"

The Gem jumped and gazed out at him. She looked to be very much on edge.

Suddenly, she slammed her fist against the wall. "_Great!_ This is just _perfect_!" she growled, and clutched at her cubic head.

Steven tried again. "Uh . . . do you need any help?"

_ "No!"_ The Gem cried, and glared at him angrily. "I mean. . . _don't look at me!_ Just, go away. . ."

He sighed and turned away.

"Hey wait!" The Gem stood and moved closer to the yellow screen boxing her in. "You're out! How did you get past the field?"

"Oh!" He stretched his hand out. "I just kinda. . ."

Concern flared in the Gem's eyes. "Wait! Nononono wait—"

She stopped when his hand slipped easily through. ". . . It's . . . okay?"

She pressed her own hand to the field and was promptly zapped. She hissed, stepping back. _"What's going on. . ."_

It was at that moment a lilting tune wafted through the corridor, and the Gem fell silent, listening.

After a few moments, Steven spoke up. "Somebody's singing!"

"Sapphire. . ." the Gem breathed, and whipped to face him. "Let me outta here! Please! I need to find Sapphire!"

"Is she your friend?" Steven asked. "I'm looking for my friends too."

"She's all alone—I need to find her!" the Gem cried.

"Don't worry, we'll find our friends," he offered, and stepped into the yellow field, opening a hole for her. The field jottled him as he cried, hopefully, "And we'll do it together!"

In a flash, the Gem dashed under his arm and took off in a full sprint down the corridor.

"Wait for me!" Steven cried, and pulled away from the field, dashing to keep up. The Gem skidded to a stop and he pulled up beside her.

"Hey, my name's Steven, by the way. What's yours?"

"Quiet!" she grunted, and held her head in her hands. "I can't see. . ."

She glanced up and down the corridor before making a decision. "This way!" she said, and dashed off to the left.

"How many more Gems are trapped here?" Steven called after her, scrambling to keep up.

"Don't know, don't care," she called back, and then stopped. "She stopped singing!" She looked wildly around and cupped her hands around her mouth to call out. _"Sapphire!"_

They had stopped by a large window and when Steven gazed through it, he caught a glimpse of the Earth sprawled below. He followed the Gem down the corridor and they soon came to another engaged cell.

The Gem gasped hopefully, and then frowned. "Oh . . . it's just you."

As Steven squinted past the field, he caught sight of a tear-shaped gem on the figure's back. "Lapis!"

She turned and gazed anxiously at him.

"Lapis, I can get you out!" Steven said, and reached out for the field.

"Stop!" she cried.

"It's okay, I can—"

"No!" He took a step back. "I don't want your help! Things are bad enough as it is! I've already made too much trouble. Once we get back to Homeworld, they're going to decide what to do with us."

The red Gem behind him gave an irritated growl. "Ugh! I don't have time for this!" she yelled, and dashed off.

"Wait!" Steven called after her.

"Steven. . ." he turned to see Lapis move closer. "Whatever you're doing, just stop! If we do everything they say, they might go easy on us!"

Steven could feel panic welling inside him at the loss of the other Gem. "But they're . . . mean! They hurt my friends—they hurt my face! They've got you here in prison!"

"That's why we can't fight them," Lapis pressed.

"That's why we _have_ to fight them!" Steven cried.

Lapis gave him one last despairing look and then shifted to sit against the wall, hugging her knees to her chest.

Steven sighed. "I'll come back for you," he promised, and turned to venture back down the corridor.

Picking up the song from before, he followed the sound down another smaller corridor and jumped when a panelled door slid open in front of him. He flattened himself against the wall. Peridot and the large orange Gem from before strode past.

"We can't leave yet!" Peridot was saying. "The whole point of coming here was to check on the _cluster_!"

They stopped in front of an active cell and the orange Gem (what was her name? Jasper?) delivered a skull-rattling punch to the wall. "STOP SINGING!" she yelled, and turned to her companion. "Rose Quartz takes priority. Get back to the bridge and set a course for Homeworld."

With that, she turned and stormed off, leaving an exasperated Peridot to head back the way she had come. "Go to Earth, they said!" He heard her muttering. "It'll be _easy_, they said."

Once she was out of sight, Steven peered around the corner to find a short blue Gem barricaded in the aforementioned cell. Making sure the hall was empty, he tiptoed over.

"Hey, I like your song!" He said to the Gem. "Are you Sapphire?"

The Gem gazed at him steadily from beneath her concealing fringe. "You escaped. . ."

Steven reached forward and pushed his fingers through the field. They slipped easily through to the other side and, after a pause, the Gem nodded. ". . . Of course."

He smiled, stepped into the field and held up his arms, creating another hole. _"Come oo-onn!"_ he invited, vibrating from the energy. _"It's saa-afe!"_

The shorter Gem ducked under his arms with a curtsey. "Thank you, Steven."

"You're welcome!"

_ "Sapphiiireee!"_

The cry echoed from somewhere far away.

"Ruby." Sapphire gasped and grabbed him by the hand. "Come on."

Much to his surprise she took off at full speed, dashing forward at the speed of light, dragging him behind her, whizzing down corridors and slipping easily around corners. Amongst the whirl of colour, Steven thought that it was rather like some crazy carnival ride.

Without any warning, they skidded to a stop, and Steven almost went tumbling into Sapphire's back. Looking up, he saw that they were standing at the edge of a large chamber. Standing at the opposite doorway was the red Gem from before.

_"Ruby!"_ Sapphire cried, and let go of him before again taking off. The Gems met in the middle of the room, reaching out and pulling each other close.

After a brief moment, Ruby pulled back and gazed at the other with frantic concern. "Did they hurt you?"

Sapphire shook her head, clasping the other's hand against her cheek. "No, no. I'm okay. Did they hurt _you_?"

Ruby's eyes were wet and her high voice broke when she answered. "Who _cares_?"

_"I do,"_ Sapphire replied, and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Ruby's forehead.

Ruby smiled and, pulling back, she circled her arms around Sapphire's waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning them around. Joyful laughter filled the chamber as they spun, gems aglow, forms whitening and lifting off the ground, melding together in a dynamic blob and growing taller, refining, accentuating, until the light cleared—

Her raucous laughter lower than the other Gems', Garnet dropped to the floor and grinned at Steven. _"Steven!"_ she cried, excitedly. Her three eyes softened. "Thank you."

"Garnet!" His eyes sparkled. "You're a _fusion_?"

She gave a soft, almost embarrassed laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry. We didn't want you meeting us here like this."

Steven understood that perhaps now might be an inopportune time to introduce him to her components, but he didn't think any other occasion would have made it even more wonderful. "Well. . . did I make a good first impression?"

"Oh Steven," Garnet sighed, a fond smile playing about her lips as she cupped his cheek, "We already love you."

_ "WHERE IS SHE?"_

The shout was distant, but no less intimidating. They both glanced worriedly at the righthand door.

"It's Jasper," Garnet said. "Steven, find the others and get to the control bridge!"

"But I don't know where they are!" Steven confessed.

Garnet leaned forward, pressing a sparkling kiss to Steven's forehead, and in a flash he saw, down a long stretch of corridors, Amethyst, Pearl and Pink in separate holding cells. The two Pearls leaned against their shared wall, as if in comfort.

"Future vision," Steven droned, mesmerised.

Garnet stood, readying to face the Quartz.

"Wait!" At his call, her eyes flicked to settle on him. "Are you gonna be able to beat her on your own?"

"It's okay, Steven. I'm never alone."

With the bootsteps growing louder, he gave a confirming nod and disappeared down the corridor. Almost immediately, Jasper appeared, racing through the arch at the opposite side of the room and skidding to a stop a few feet from the fusion.

"Oh, great," she growled. "You're _both_ out? And you're fused _again_? Why? Fusion is just a cheap tactic to make weak Gems stronger. Quit embarrassing yourselves! I've seen what you _really_ are."

Garnet only chuckled. The confident sound made Jasper grind her teeth.

"No, you haven't," the fusion said, locking eyes with her.

* * *

Steven, Pink, Pearl and Amethyst ran for the bridge, finally sighting the angled door and running through the opening panels. There was a floating green chair at the far end of the room—it spun around, revealing a disenchanted Peridot. Steven thought he saw a buzz of static in her eyes before they cleared.

Gritting her teeth, Peridot summoned a Gem destabiliser from the dashboard and stood, striding towards them. In defense of the Gems, Steven ran forward, grabbing the wand as she brought it down and absorbing the energy. Peridot squawked in surprise.

It was easy to incarcerate the resisting Gem and Amethyst promptly wound her in her lasso, sitting on top of the trussed bundle to keep her down. Pink sat serenely next to her on the sentient stool.

Pearl approached the control panel and Peridot shrieked.

"Don't touch that! You clods don't know what you're doing!"

"You got this Pearl!" Amethyst called in encouragement, ignoring the struggling Gem beneath her.

Pearl sat herself down in the strange chair, turning in determination to the interface. "Okay ship! Turn us around!" She plunged her hands through the holographic keyboard, static filling her eyes and giving out a strange wail as she jittered.

Steven didn't have the space to be worried for her as he turned to a screen capturing the events in the chamber he'd just run from. Garnet and Jasper circled each other, darting forward and exchanging punches, knocking each other into walls—and then, suddenly, where they had been was a giant black hole in the floor.

"Garnet!" Steven cried. Pearl only twitched her fingers, directing the ship to turn and face Earth. Another movement and the planet began to grow steadily before them.

There was a sudden jarring explosion and the Gems were knocked forward, dislodging Amethyst and Pink from their post and Pearl tumbling from her seat with a cry. Now relatively free, Peridot squirmed forward, arms still trussed by her sides, and promptly slammed her face into the floor. The square panelling below her lit up and suddenly she was encased in a spherical pod. Amethyst threw herself at the thing but her hands closed on thin air as the pod was spirited away. Through the windscreen, they saw the thing shoot off towards Earth in a blur of green. There was nothing they could do but stand and watch.

Behind them, the door slid open with a hum and the Gems spun around. _"Garnet!"_

"This ship is going down!" the newly-realised fusion yelled, fists clenched resolutely at her sides.

"What about Lapis?" Steven cried.

_"There's no time!"_

Swooping forward, the fusion captured all four of them in her arms, and on her command Steven enveloped them in a protective pink bubble.

The giant hand crashed down upon Beach City, promptly exploding into chunks with a sonic _boom!_. Rubble rained down upon the beach and into the ocean.

From the comfortable darkness Steven sat in, he heard a bone-shaking roar, and suddenly there was light. He relinquished the bubble around them and the Gems were deposited gently onto the sand, shaken but unharmed.

"Nice work," Garnet smiled down at him. His brain reeled as he processed the information from the past hour.

"Oh my gosh!" he suddenly cried, and the Gems fell back, Pink hitting the sand with a soft _oof!_. "I can't believe you're a fusion all the time!"

"You met Ruby and Sapphire?!" Amethyst cried.

"Oh no!" Pearl wailed. "We were going to introduce you— Garnet, your plan!"

"We were waiting for your birthday," Garnet admitted sheepishly.

"We can still do it!" Steven cried, standing. "I'll just pretend I didn't know!"

"That sounds like a great idea, Steven," Pink smiled, standing herself and helping Amethyst up. "Right, Pearl?"

Amethyst laughed when Pearl shook her head.

Behind them, there was a loud _bang!_ and they turned to find Jasper standing with effort, surrounded by chunks of hand-ship. The Gems gasped in unison.

Groaning, Jasper ambled forward and fell to her knees, chest heaving. Obviously the crash had taken a lot out of her—but her fire remained, as she proved when she lifted her head and glared at them. "Don't think you've won!" she growled. "You only beat me 'cause you're a fusion! If I had someone to fuse with I'd—"

There was a scrabble and Jasper paused, turning. Lapis struggled out from beneath a large broken panel, gasping in exertion, and, sighting Jasper, she hurriedly called upon her wings and launched off the ground. She didn't get far, as Jasper caught her by the ankle and yanked her back in.

"C'mere, brat!" She transferred her grip instead to Lapis' wrist, letting her hang limply in the air. "Aw, don't fly off so soon!"

"Lapis!" Steven cried, and started forward, but was pulled back by Amethyst. Pink took him into a protective hug as they watched.

"Lapis listen, _fuse with me!_" Jasper was saying, and Lapis opened her eyes in shock.

_"What?"_

Jasper grasped her chin in a huge hand, forcing her eyes up. "How long did they keep you trapped here on this miserable hunk of rock?" She promptly dropped her, and Lapis slumped to the ground with a moan. "These Gems— they're traitors to their Homeworld!"

Amethyst flung an arm in front of him. Beside him, Pearl lowered her stance, and Steven heard Garnet summon her gauntlets behind them.

"They kept you prisoner," Jasper continued, "They used you! This is your chance to take revenge!"

Slowly, Lapis stood. Her shoulders sagged with exhaustion, and her eyes found Steven's, tired, vulnerable. He strained against Pink's protective hold.

"C'mon," Jasper pushed, grinning wickedly. "Just say _yes_."

"Lapis, don't do it," Steven begged, eyes locked on her.

Lapis hesitated for a moment, holding his pleading gaze, and then her eyes hardened. Taking a breath, she steeled herself and turned, glaring out Jasper and offering her hand.

Jasper seized it with glee.

"Noooo!" he cried.

They two swept through a brief, spinning dance, concluding on Lapis' dip over Jasper's arm. The last thing Steven saw before their forms whited out was Jasper's wicked grin, her hard eyes.

The white form expanded, growing limbs that shook the ground when they took their stance, and the thing grew larger, taller, rising, rising, until a shock of tufty hair exploded around its head and the white faded, colouring the huge figure with a sea-green.

The monster fell to her hands before them, raising her head and opening four enormous, piercing eyes. Jasper's grin twisted her face as she let out an echoing laugh, raising a hand to call the sea to her bidding.

The Gems quivering before her, she rose to her full height, rivalling the Temple in size, and raised her arm in correlation with the imposing arm formed from the sea.

Just as she was about to strike, the massive fusion's laugh was cut off as the hand lurched forward, grabbing onto her wrist, and then shifting into a harsh manacle. ". . . Huh?" the fusion murmured, and her other wrist was captured in chains. _"—What?"_ Water smacked into her torso, forming criss-crossing chains across her form. _"—EUGH!"_

The Gems watched in awe as she strained against the water trapping her, dragging the chains forward with effort. _"What are you doing?"_ Jasper's dual-tone voice burst from her mouth.

_"I'm DONE being everyone's prisoner,"_ came Lapis' cutting voice. _"Now you're MY prisoner— and I'm never letting you GO!"_

On the last word, two clawed hands shot from the ocean, grabbing onto two of the fusion's legs and dragging her forcefully back into the tides. The Gem yelled, form destabilising as she struggled within herself, straining with every fibre of her being against the broken consent she had brought upon _herself_. The gouged furrows in the sand with her body as she was dragged back with a scream.

Pink let go of Steven and he barrelled forward, pulling up at the lapping shoreline. _"Lapis!"_

The fusion was submerged, shoulders-deep in the water, petrified face straining above the surface. Lapis' scream was the most chilling thing Steven had ever heard. _"Let's stay on this miserable planet, TOGETHER!"_

And then they were gone.

Steven stared helplessly at the ripples left on the surface of the water, the only evidence of the horrors that lay trapped beneath.

The crackling of fire was the only sound to be heard on the otherwise deathly-silent beach.

_"Yikes,"_ Garnet broke in, adjusting her visor. "They are _really_ bad for each other."

Steven's ringtone pierced the scene, and slowly, dazed, he reached into his pocket and drew the phone out, accepting the call. "Uhh. . . hello?"

On his left, Pearl's shoulders slumped, and she clasped onto Garnet's arm, leaning against her for support. On the other side, Pink pulled Amethyst a little closer, and they both stared mournfully out at the water.

_"Steven!"_ came Connie's frantic voice. _"I got your message, are you okay? What's going on?"_

Silence.

_". . . Steven?"_

Pink moved forward and took him into her arms. He surrendered, burying his face into her warm chest. She wound her fingers into his hair comfortingly.

The phone dropped to the sand.

* * *

**PROMPTS: "Hm. Maybe do one of Jailbreak? I'd like to see Pink's role in all of this-" — from Robin-Writes on Wattpad! Hope you enjoyed! :)**

**I'm sorry. . . on the ship, I didn't really have much for Pink to do. . . Kinda unhappy with this—I don't see Pink as a very conflict-oriented Gem. But I hope you liked it!**


	10. Gem Heist (Zoo Arc: Part 1)

As their ship drifted closer to the enormous pink structure, the Gems grew quiet. The tension in the air was palpable. Steven noticed with mild alarm the Red Eye floating nearby, keeping watch.

"The Human Zoo," Pearl murmured. "I can't believe it still exists."

"Dad's gotta be in there," Steven affirmed. "We just have to find him and bust him out."

Surprisingly, as they neared the entry bay, the panels opened easily. Still, everyone held their breath as they passed through the security field into the port. No alarms went off, no guards came running.

The crew exhaled as the vehicle drifted into a vacant bay. Two large figures flanked the doors ahead and Amethyst gasped. "Those Gems. . ."

"Amethyst guards. . . Right." Pearl pinched the bridge of her nose. "As if we could just waltz up as an ownerless Pearl, a _fusion_, and. . . " her eyes softened as they settled on Steven. ". . . And you."

"We just need disguises!" Steven offered hopefully. "I'll be _Esteban Universidad_!" Pink laughed fondly.

"Steven, It doesn't matter what your name is!" Pearl worried. "We're all going to stand out!"

Behind them, Garnet shrunk down and unfused, leaving Ruby and Sapphire standing together, hand-in-hand. "We won't stand out if we play the roles we were made for," Sapphire said.

"Ruby! Sapphire!" Steven cried, delightedly.

"Okay everybody, hear her out," Ruby hushed.

"Today, I'm a Sapphire travelling with my Ruby guard." Ruby nodded. "_And_ my personal. . . Pearls."

The two Gems shared a nervous look. "Two Pearls?" Pink asked.

"I _would_ ask you to fuse and shift down, but Pearl, you don't like shapeshifting, and your two gems would be too easily visible."

Pink sighed but nodded, offering up a nervous smile.

"Esteban," Sapphire continued, "I brought you as an offering for the Zoo."

Steven brought his hands to his face in mock horror. _"Pobrecito Esteban!"_

"Uhh. . . What about me?"

Sapphire turned to Amethyst. "You're accompanying me as extra muscle."

"Muscle like them?" Amethyst glanced worriedly at the guards stationed outside.

"Exactly."

"But I've never even _seen_ another Amethyst before! What do I do? What if I say something wrong!"

"I think you'll do just fine," Pink assured, crouching down to set a hand on her shoulder. "If two Pearls can get in, then you definitely can."

"Just look the part," Sapphire agreed. "You're new, and we're rusty. We just have to sell this long enough to find Greg."

"Is this really going to work?" Pearl asked worriedly.

"No."

Everyone stiffened.

"Just— stick together!" the smaller Gem said hurriedly, plastering on a nervous smile. "Play it straight! Let's. . . change the future!"

* * *

"You'll never cage me, you rockheads!"

The commotion made the Amethyst guards turn their heads. The motley crew filed out of the ship one by one, Steven struggling against Ruby's gentle grip.

As they advanced, the guards took stock of the newcomers. The Amethyst bumbled awkwardly and the first Pearl followed with her knees bent for combat, eyes flicking around the room. Not to mention the second Pearl, and with a different gem placement to the first—and with long hair! The only Gems who seemed to be completely within their element was the Sapphire and the Ruby, the former of which strode hurriedly, back straight, and the latter who stuck rather close to the Sapphire, but that was to be expected, as her personal guard.

The fairer of the two guards shot her partner a look. These Gems had obviously been out of commission for quite a while. This could be fun.

She spoke in a growl. "State your purpose."

"I'm here to make a delivery to the Human Zoo," the Sapphire replied.

The guards shared another look and grinned. "Bad news. The Human Zoo's shut down," the first continued, and advanced on the group, pressing her face close to the tiny human's. "Which means we'll just have to throw _you_ into _space_."

Steven squirmed, sweat beading on his forehead. He felt his hands burn a little as Ruby's temperature rose. He yelped, and her hands abruptly cooled.

"Heh! Look, he believed me," the guard suddenly said, and straightened, nudging her partner and sniggering.

Sharp clacks echoed down the hallway and the Amethysts jumped to attention. In the doorway stood a well-built blue Gem, standing taller than the guards in white heels, her face fixed in a snarl.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, grey eyes cutting into the guards.

_ "Nothing, Holly Blue Agate!"_ the guards stammered in unison, and straightened in identical salutes.

The Agate surveyed the group before her disapprovingly before settling on Sapphire—and then second Pearl. She gasped and, in a show of violence that startled Steven, kicked one of the Amethysts hard in the shins. She grimaced in pain.

"Why didn't you tell me there was a _Sapphire_ here? And with _two_ pearls, no less!" she hissed, making no effort to quieten her voice. "She must be a part of the Diamonds' inner ring! What have you miscreants been saying to them?!"

"Nothing, Holly," the fair Amethyst insisted, arms rigid.

Holly Blue Agate turned to the newcomers with a charming laugh. "You'll have to forgive them—they're from _Earth_." She shot the guards a look. _"Ahem! Apologise."_

They turned obediently. _"Forgive us."_

Holly Blue delivered a swift punch to the closest Amethyst, knocking her into her companion, their forearm gems clinking sharply. They both shared a sympathetic look before trying again. _"Forgive us, your Clarity."_

"No use dwelling on the past," Sapphire said, a little hurriedly. "I've brought a new human for the collection."

"How unprecedented!" Holly gasped. "Nothing for millennia, and then two humans back-to-back! Well, it's probably for the best. That first one wasn't in the. . . best condition."

Steven gasped. "Dad! That's him!"

_ "Shh,"_ Ruby hushed. Amethyst eyed the Agate warily.

"Oh, their incessant barking! What is it saying?" Holly Blue laughed again. "The other one was loud too. And all that thrashing about!"

Steven felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

"I'm sure Blue Diamond will want to thank you personally, but you _just_ missed her!"

Steven and Ruby exhaled in unison.

Holly Blue turned to the guards. "Amethyst, take this human to the—"

"Wait!" Sapphire stepped forward in a panic, and then took a breath, steadying herself. "The thing is. . . we've travelled so far, and. . . it'd be a shame to leave so quickly. Perhaps you'd grant us a tour of the facility?"

"I would be honoured!" Holly Blue said eagerly, and stepped aside to gesture through the doorway. "Right this way, your Grand Clarity!"

The group filed through, but just as Amethyst would have passed the threshold, Holly Blue blocked her from entry. "Amethysts are to stay and guard the door," she said loudly.

Amethyst bristled nervously. "Uhh, but. . ."

"The _door_." Under her icy gaze, Amethyst hesitantly stepped back in line with the other guards, shoulders squared and back straight. With that, Holly Blue turned and strode off with the others, leaving her behind with the guards. Pearl shot her a worried look over her shoulder before hastening to keep stride with Sapphire.

Holly Blue grimaced and shot her a look, addressing her supposed owner. "Does your pearl always walk next to you?"

"Ahahah, I'll just be, uh, right here," she stammered nervously, slowing to walk behind them.

"Hmm, _chatty_."

The Agate's voice was demeaning. Pearl flushed, and subtly, Pink took her friend's pale hand into her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"This facility originally belonged to Pink Diamond and houses and staffs the otherwise useless quartzes she produced on what _was_ her colony," Holly Blue droned. Steven noticed the Pearls stiffening, abruptly letting go of each other, before the Agate picked up again with enthusiasm. "But Blue Diamond and her trusted Agate—that's me!—have been maintaining this place since the dawn of Era 2."

Holly Blue stopped in front of an angled door and Sapphire caught herself beside her just in time. Reading her movements, the others slowed behind them.

A few seconds passed.

Holly Blue twisted to look at the Pearls, but spoke to Sapphire. "Is one of them going to do it or. . . should I say something?"

"Oh! Pearl, the door," Sapphire fumbled.

"Hm?" Pearl replied.

"Oh!" Pink cried. "Right!"

_"I got it!"_ they cried in unison, rushing forward. Sapphire stiffened, ice crackling around her skirts, and they two stopped, shooting each other panicked looks. Hesitantly, Pink stepped forward, allowing her friend to fall back, and stood in front of the doorside panel, faltering as she scanned over the interface.

"You are so patient with them!" the Agate mused, as if they weren't there at all. "How _do_ you do it?"

Steven frowned.

"As a Sapphire, I know it will happen eventually."

Hands shaking, Pink managed to unlock the door a second later and stood by as they walked through.

"That will be all," Holly Blue said, waving a dismissive hand at her.

Pink inclined her head, face pale.

"Sorry," Sapphire whispered as she passed.

"Hang in there," Steven supplied. Ruby flashed her a thumbs-up, and Pearl stopped behind with her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Do keep up, pearl," Holly Blue called over her shoulder.

"Ugh," Pearl replied as Pink locked the door behind them.

Holly Blue slowed beside another interface and activated a panel beneath their feet, which faded into transparency, treating them all to a bird's-eye view of the leviathan complex beneath them, hovering in space. Beyond it, they could make out the patrolling Red Eye.

"The bottom half of this structure is devoted entirely to specimen containment," Holly Blue supplied, her voice taking on a condescending tone. "Apparently, humans don't take well to _captivity_. But once you understand their needs, they're easy to control."

She returned the panel to its original solid form and continued walking, jabbering as she went. "It's tragic that Pink Diamond's existence in this universe ended up being so finite, but what a selfless act for Blue Diamond to step forward and spend her own time and energy _preserving_ this place in Pink Diamond's memory! It's a _real_ testament to Blue Diamond's _merciful_ and _giving_ nature, don't you think?"

"Oh— of course," Sapphire replied weakly.

Behind Steven, Ruby growled.

"Hold it together, Ruby," he whispered. "Our roles, remember? Gotta 'Esteban' it."

"And past this way, our preservation sector, and here of course is the human disposal chute."

Steven caught onto the Agate's last words with horrifying clarity. "Whaaaa—! How— How do you get in the Zoo?!"

"Oh, there it goes again. With its hilarious noises."

Steven gritted his teeth, sweat dripping.

"So. . . how do you get in the Zoo?" Sapphire tried.

"Excellent question, your Grand Clarity!" Holly Blue exclaimed, servility apparent. "On the rare occasion that we would need to enter the containment area, we would do so via this service door."

The door she stopped in front of was engraved with curving patterns and two five-petalled flowers—one on each panel. Inside the flowers sat what looked like five-pointed equilateral diamonds. Off to the side was another dormant interface and framing the door were two polyfaceted pillars, carved in the midsection into what looked like human figures with very prominent ears.

"Dad," Steven whispered to his lower-caste companions, "That door's how we get to Dad. We just need to come up with a distraction!"

"Got it!" Ruby whispered back, and let go of him, looking around for anything of use. Pearl came up empty-handed before her and shrugged. Pink shook her head beside her.

"As a one-way access point there are no risks of escape. In fact, it's only been used once for a human—"

_ "EXPLOSION!"_

Holly Blue turned to the animated Ruby. _"Pardon me?"_

"Uhh," Ruby stammered. Steven sighed at her impulsive nature. "I just remembered I left the gravity engine. . . idling! I'm sorry, my Sapphire I'm, so forgetful and disposable!"

"What?" the other replied, a hint of panic in her voice.

Ruby flicked her eyes at the door.

". . . a, foreseen turn of events! Yes," she recovered, turning to Holly Blue, who leaned closer, ever attentive. "It is going to overheat and explode. The damage will be massive."

"My _word_! I don't know why anyone trusts rubies with those _ships_! This is what _happens_!"

"If we hurry, we can disable the engine before any damage is done. It should only take _five minutes_, so everyone be on your _best behaviour_."

Turning away so the Agate wouldn't see, Sapphire lifted her fringe and blinked purposefully at the Gems. Confused, their eyes flicked to Ruby, who gave her a saucy wink back.

"This way, your Clarity," Holly Blue gestured, "Although I'm sure _you_ don't need _my_ guidance."

As soon as their footsteps receded, Ruby burst. "_Aaarrgh!_ I can't believe all that stuff about Blue Diamond being _merciful_—she's a _shatterer_! She yelled at Sapphire, she hates _fusion_, and _LOVE_—"

"I know, Ruby," Steven hushed. "But we don't have much time! We have to open this door!"

"Right, right," the Gem replied. "Pearl, open it!"

Pearl looked unimpressed. "Of course. What else am I good for?"

She with Pink padded over to the interface and activated the screen, pausing. "It's different than the other ones. . ." Pink said. She examined the screen before swiping her finger across the panel. It flashed red.

"Hmm. . ." Pearl stepped forward and swiped in another direction this time. The panel flashed red.

Twenty seconds and forty-three combinations later they stepped back together and Pearl raised her hands in defeat. "We actually can't figure this out at all."

_ "What?"_ Ruby cried.

"But Pearl, you're a hacker!" Steven pushed.

"We don't have time for this!" Ruby said decisively, and ran forward. "Steven, help me open the door!"

"Okay!"

"And Pearl. . . s, hack faster!"

Sixty-nine combinations, ninety-seven punches, forty-three scratch marks and twelve flaming footsteps later they still found themselves at square one. Ruby sank to the floor, wailing frustratedly against the polished glass.

_ "I am _so glad_ we're almost back! I was really enjoying the _tour_!"_

Sapphire's droning voice echoed down the corridor and they all froze. Pink rushed forward and threw her arms out, as if her meagre form could hide the damage.

"Yes, I can tell by the tone of your voice," Holly Blue smiled. "Thank you so much again for averting that crisis— _Oh my!_—"

She stopped with a scandalised gasp as she noticed the defaced door. All flaunting anxious grins, the Gems stood animatedly around the door, Pearl leaning far-too-casually against the interface, Steven standing with his hands on his hips in the centre of the floor, Ruby beside him looking like a crazy action figure and Pink posed like a scarecrow in front of the door. Sapphire clasped her hands over her mouth.

_ "What is going on?"_ the Agate demanded, striding purposefully forward. Steven gulped. He could feel the temperature rise as Ruby grew tense. Sapphire hurried behind her.

"Oh, well, I'm sure there's a reason for—"

"Did you see the Amethyst that did this?"

Hearing Holly Blue's words, all five exhaled loudly. She stepped forward and examined the damage. "_Really_, we have _guests_!"

Thumping footsteps echoed down the hallway and two miscoloured Amethyst guards came sprinting up.

"Holly Blue Agate! We have important news for you!"

"We do not RUN or _SHOUT IN THESE HALLWAYS_!" she bellowed.

The Amethyst's voice dropped a few decibels. "I'm sorry, i-it's just—"

"How am I supposed to know what you're saying when you're MUMBLING?"

The guards glanced at each other before one spoke. "I'm sorry Holly Blue Agate it's just—"

"Blue Diamond is on her way!" the other finished.

"Oh my Stars! She's back already!" Holly Blue exclaimed, shoving Ruby and Steven out of the way (sending them tumbling into Pink against the door with an _oof!_) and sashaying forward. "You two, _best_ behaviour! Shoulders _squared_! Minds _cleared_! Backs _straight_!" With each emphasised word she squeezed their shoulders, smashed their heads together and punched their backs.

Sporting a cheery smile, Holly Blue turned to Sapphire. "And surely Blue Diamond will want to thank you _personally_ for this special delivery, your Grand Clarity!"

"Yes, I suppose. . . she will," Sapphire replied meekly.

Ruby's face contorted in panic. The temperature rose another degree.

The heat seemed to fuel Holly Blue Agate in her violent rampage. "Well don't just stand there, you useless chunks of earth!" she shouted at the Amethysts. "Make yourself useful and escort that human to the assimilation bay!"

Without hesitation they moved forward and bundled Steven up, striding past Holly Blue.

"But— the tour!" he heard Sapphire cry behind him.

"Oh, my Clarity, you flatter me. But we really must get ready—our Diamond will be here at any moment!"

Three dark, closed-off corridors later they came to a stop at a panel embedded into the wall. "Let me go, you bigger Amethyst!" Steven cried, squirming in the guard's grip.

"Huh," she mused. "These newer humans are so spunky. In you go!"

And with that, she dropped him into the opening, panels sliding closed behind him.

He barely had time to sit up before the space became awash with neon light and the ground beneath him began moving. When he turned, he found himself on some sort of conveyor belt, walled off from space by a large transparent tube, being ferried towards the top of the huge floating structure they called the Human Zoo.

As soon as the pink walls closed in around him, he became subject to dozens of harassing blue digits, capturing his profile, examining his teeth, squishing his face, checking his pupil dilation, taking his temperature, shoving themselves up his nostrils, undressing him, disinfecting him, cladding him in naturalist garb and finally attaching a pair of futuristic accessories to his earlobes. When finally the blue digits retreated, he found himself walled off in a transparent cube.

He stood, shouting and waving his hands animatedly, expecting the worst. "Okay! What else, huh? What else you got for me?! I'm on that dad-mission adrenaline rush, and ready for whatever space junk you have next! Futuristic cattle prods, human horseshoes, whatever you got, _come and give me!_"

What happened next wasn't quite what he expected. From somewhere above him a rush of water crashed down and filled the cube, levitating him off the ground. A human-sized hole opened beneath him in the bottom of the cube and a strong current pulled him through, sending him plummeting in liquid down, down, zigzagging through the atmosphere, tumbling and turning, and finally tossing him up (up?) into the air, and back down again as he crashed into shallow water. He pushed himself up, coughing and gagging, and opened his eyes.

What he saw wasn't at all anything like what he expected. He was surrounded by sand, and beyond that, lush green grass—blossoming trees framed the sky and the dome above him was bright and blue and housed its own miniature sun, beaming down warm light and setting the water sparkling.

On the bank across from him, sat on the checkered grass were three figures, all clad in purple and white robes, passing fingers through braided hair and leaving colourful flowers in their wake. The closest looked to be a young woman with fair skin and blonde hair that bounced around her shoulders. The farthest was a healthy man of around the same age with smooth, dark skin and curly black hair. The middlemost was stout and tubby, pale skin peeking out from underneath clothes and sharply meeting with a line of sunburn. Their hair was incredibly long and on top of their head sat a delicate flower crown. When they turned around, Steven could make out a trimmed beard and an easy smile—

_ "Dad?"_

* * *

**PROMPT: "Maybe you can do That will be all and if Pink would go with or stay on earth with Lapis and Peridot" — for Rubpphire on Wattpad! Hope you enjoyed! :)**

**Of course, I had to lead up to your actual request with Holly Blue's prime episode uwu and sure Pink's coming with them! It wouldn't be the same without our soft pink baby. . . also, another reason for Holly Blue to throw herself down at Sapphire's feet.**


	11. That Will Be All (Zoo Arc: Part 2)

"You two are in _big_ trouble," the Amethyst had snarled, and promptly marched them out of the paradise.

A maze of darkened corridors later they finally found themselves in front of a squat door. She opened the panels using the interface and dropped them on the floor inside.

"These the ones?" she said.

Ominous laughter echoed from all points of the room, suddenly split by a frantic cry.

_"Steven! Greg!"_

A huddle of large Amethysts parted to reveal Amethyst—_their_ Amethyst—struggling in the muscular arms of another purple Gem. "They found me out!"

"Amethyst!" Steven cried.

"You won't believe what I'm been through! These Amethysts are really, really. . . GREAT!"

_"What?"_

Suddenly, the whole chamber was rumbling with laughter.

"Your faces!" their captor crooned.

"You were right, that was priceless!" the Gem holding Amethyst cried, and she let her down. The smaller Quartz wasted no time in rushing back to her friends and sweeping Steven up in a hug.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I had to! What are you _wearing_?" she pulled back and turned to his dad, pushing himself up on quaking legs. "Greg, this is a good look for you!"

"What is going on?!" Steven cried desperately.

"These Amethysts— they're all from Earth! They're from the Prime Kindergarten! Wait— hey, 8XL!"

A dark-skinned Amethyst across the room smiled. "Yeah?"

"You guys, I'm an eight!" his friend shot a pointed look at the other Gem. "Tell 'em, tell 'em!"

She grinned. "The Amethyst under me never popped out. We were all waiting and. . . pfft, nothing."

"I'm 8XM! Facet-5, Cut-8XM, that's me!" Amethyst said excitedly, and swung her finger at the others. "That's 8XG, that's 8XH. . ."

"I'm J," the Gem in question corrected.

"Aw jeez, sorry, I'm worse than Holly Blue!" Amethyst mourned.

"Aren't we all?"

Another ripple of laughter.

"Prime, Prime, Prime. You Amethysts are so clique-y." Steven turned to a slender orange Gem across the room.

"Skinny's a Jasper!" Amethyst explained excitedly. "There are Gems here from the Beta Kindergarten too! Hey, where's Carnelian?"

"Celebrating," Skinny grinned.

_ "I'm not the shortest anymore!"_ A tiny red Gem burst out of nowhere and snatched Amethyst up in a tackle, prompting more laughter.

"This is unreal," Greg murmured.

"Hey!" Steven called over the din. "Please, if you don't mind me asking, we really need your help. We came in with Sapphire, Ruby and Pearl—we've gotta find them and get out of—"

At that moment, the door behind him slid open with a hiss, and a familiar snobby voice floated through.

"I'll only be a moment," said Holly Blue Agate, and in a panic, Steven grabbed Greg's hand and pulled him off behind a cluster of Amethysts.

Holly Blue strode in calmly, door sliding shut behind her, and then promptly burst. "_What_ are you all doing in here? _Get to your stations!_ Even you hideous off-colour Betas, get _out_ of your cubbies and into your _places_!" She went about, shoving Gems aside, pulling them from their resting compartments. "It's the _least_ you can do for the Diamond that kept your worthless sorry gems service."

A quiet ripple went through the room. "That's right, Blue is back already!" her voice dropped dangerously low. "Now go pretend your filthy vein quartz is capable of GRATITUDE!" she strode over to the door and unlocked it, turning to glare at the mob. _"GO, GO, GO!"_

Steven noticed Ruby, Sapphire and Pearl scrambling on the other side of the door. It looked like they had been attempting to listen in. They hurriedly crushed themselves against the wall as the horde of Amethysts thundered past, Steven and Greg rushing to keep up and stay hidden.

"Disperse, my Diamond is waiting!" Holly shouted.

"Run! Just run," Amethyst said in a panic, pushing them down the corridor. "I'll find you, go!"

* * *

Steven activated and ran through the first door he saw. Perhaps not such a wise decision, as it shut with a _clang!_ behind them as soon as they were inside. When he raised his eyes, he was surprised to be met with hundreds—no, _thousands_—of pink bubbled gems hovering around the room.

"Who bubbled all these Gems?" he whispered.

They were standing on raised platform, accessible by a large set of stairs against either wall. Dotted around the room were tall faceted pillars, and settled in the recess between the stairs was a gigantic plush pillow. The whole room was pink. When Steven craned his neck, he found above him not a pink ceiling, but an enormous glass dome. Beyond the glass, tiny jewel-like stars glittered against an inky void. Startlingly close, a gigantic orange ball—a ringed planet—loomed over the comparatively tiny room.

Greg gazed up at the masses of bubbles clustered around the ceiling. "Wow. It's kinda like a birthday party in here."

Steven's eyes began to water, and he started, pulling his father behind one of the towering columns. "Oh no—we gotta hide!"

And not a second too soon. On the far side of the room, a dizzyingly large set of doors slid open to reveal the same hunched hooded figure from before. At her feet stood her small blue companion.

Blue Diamond padded into the room, her soft footsteps resounding like thunder._"Pearl, close the door,"_ came her low voice.

The Gem behind her obediently locked the door and stood by, waiting.

With a sigh, Blue Diamond sank to her knees on the prepared cushion and lifted slender blue hands to push back the hood. Her face was long and thin, with a dainty nose and disproportionately plump lips. Her eyes shone with tears, shadowed by dark bags, and even as Steven watched, the water trailed down her face as she blinked. The pale hair that tumbled from her hood reached just below her shoulders, and at the front, it hung in a connected loop across her chest, framing the large blue diamond settled against her breast.

Unexpectedly, the door opened again with a groan, and there stood another tall figure, this one rigid and proud. The spiked helmet on her head gave her an extra few feet of height and the gemstone against her chest glinted warmly.

_ Yellow Diamond._

There was a frown on her face when she spoke. _"Please tell me you're joking."_

She took a few booming steps forward. _"You only just left, and you're already _back_?"_

_ "Yellow! Wh-What are you doing here?"_ Blue Diamond straightened and wiped at her face with a sleeve.

_ "I'm here to bring you back to reality, Blue,"_ she replied, as if that were obvious.

_ "I'm fine, just. . . leave me alone."_

_ "It's been thousands of years, Blue, and you _still_ can't bring yourself to destroy these Gems?"_ she said, gesturing at the throng of bubbles. _"She was SHATTERED by a Rose Quartz—the entire cut of Gem deserves the same fate."_

_ "But they were _hers_,"_ Blue fought meekly.

_ "They should be wiped out of existence, not kept safe in _bubbles_!"_

Steven pulled his father back to the door they came through. The interface would not respond to his fingers.

_ "Yellow, she made them. This is all we have left of her. These gems, this place, and the Earth."_

_ "I thought we agreed we need to put that planet and this whole _debacle_ behind us!"_

Noticing their vulnerable position, Steven hurried back over to the pillars, Greg in tow.

_ "_Why_ can't you just let me _grieve_."_

_ "You can't keep coming here forever!"_

_ "Why _not_?"_

Greg tapped his shoulder. When Steven turned, his eyes settled upon the tall doors on the far side of the room.

Behind them, Yellow Diamond sighed. _"Pearl. Do something. Sing for her—make her feel better."_

"Yes, my Diamond," her Pearl replied with enthusiasm. She cleared her throat and nudged her blue companion, and together they struck up a warbling tune.

With the noise as a diversion, Steven and his dad ran behind the next pillar.

_ "_Why_ would you want to be here? What do you ever see here that doesn't make you feel _worse_ than you do?"_ Yellow Diamond bent down to meet Blue's eyes. _"Tell me, what's the use of _feeling_, Blue?"_

Blue Diamond hung her head, which urged Yellow to continue her lecture. _"Why would you want to save the subjects that _destroyed_ her?"_ she stood and with a wave of her arms cleared the bubbles from around her head. _"Why keep up her silly Zoo? __An army has a use; they can go and fight a war. A Sapphire has a use; she can tell you the outcome."_

Hiding behind Blue Diamond's looming figure, they crossed to the next pillar, and closer to the door. They now stood at the top of the first flight of stairs.

_ "An Agate terrifies, a Lapis Lazuli terraforms—where's their Diamond when they need her, Blue?"_

Blue Diamond, in need of support, turned to the nearest pillar and wrapped her arms around it, resting her head in the crook of her elbow. If her eyes had been open, she would have seen the two humans. Panicked, they scurried down the stairs and away from her.

Yellow Diamond approached and raised her voice. _"You've got to be a leader, Blue!"_ she paused. _"Yes, we still love her. . . but now there's nothing we can do."_

The two Diamonds turned away and Steven took the opportunity to grab his dad's hand and run across the small landing to the next staircase. Now all that was between them was a flight of stairs and a few feet of exposed floor.

At Yellow's signal, the Pearls' melody took on an inspiring tone, almost like an anthem or a chant.

_ "How can you stand to be here with all of this?"_ she continued, _"You're drowning in your own regret—wouldn't you rather forget her?"_

Her only response was an icy glare from Blue. Evidently, that wasn't an option, but Yellow didn't seem to take the hint.

_"Won't it be grand to get rid of it all?"_ she smiled drily. _"Let's make a plan of attack—we need to start looking forward, not back. We can't _change_ what has happened."_

With Blue Diamond's attention fixed on her, Steven and Greg cleared the last flight of stairs, resigning themselves to hide behind the furthest pillar in the event that the door would open.

_ "Yes,"_ Yellow Diamond continued, tone softening, and she knelt in front of her companion, taking Blue's hands in her own, _"Of course we still love her, and we're always thinking of her."_ She stood, pulling Blue gently to her feet. "Don't you know I miss her too?"

Her voice broke, and she pulled away to gaze at the opposite wall. When she next spoke, her usually strong voice was fragile, and she steadied herself against a pillar, squeezing her eyes shut. "But what's the use of feeling blue?"

Expression softening, Blue Diamond padded over to her and laid a steadying palm against her back. As if on cue, the large doors opened, startling Steven and prompting Blue to snatch her hand away again.

"And we have arrived," came Holly Blue's voice. "That will be all, pearl." She gave two claps, dismissing the latter (Steven cringed), and clacking into the chamber with Sapphire and Ruby in tow.

When the door slid shut, Holly Blue bowed before her leader. "My Diamond," she fawned. "My gracious, wondrous, luminous, lustrous Diamond. . ." she lifted her head, and froze. ". . .s! Oh, my! It's truly an honour to bask in your radiance!. . .es."

"Get to the point, agate," Yellow Diamond replied brusquely.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, of course. My deepest apologies. You'll be pleased to know that your Sapphire has completed your special delivery!" She stepped aside, gesturing to the small Gem.

Blue Diamond turned, narrowed eyes settling on the group. "What special delivery?"

"Uh. . . the special delivery you requested from Earth, of course," Holly stammered, trying to conceal her surprise.

"I never _asked_ any Sapphire to go to Earth," Blue Diamond replied smoothly. Yellow glanced at her in question.

Sapphire stood rigid, hands behind her back. "I. . . Uhm. . ."

As Steven watched, crackling ice crystals formed around her skirts.

"Oh no," he whispered. "She's freezing up!"

Standing behind her, Ruby slowly reached forward and gave her hand a squeeze. Some of her anxiety seemed to melt away.

". . . My future vision foresaw you, my Diamond, desiring more. . . humans, for the zoo, so I. . . acted accordingly."

A nervous Holly Blue glanced beseechingly at her Diamond, a strained smile fixed on her face.

After a few nervewracking seconds, Blue Diamond sighed. "It's true. The window for preserving Earth specimens is closing."

Steven exhaled.

"Is _that_ what you want?" Yellow Diamond turned. "Sapphire, has the cluster emerged yet?"

"No, it has not."

She gave Blue a wry smile. "Then there's still time. That will be all!" Much like the Agate, she gave two precise claps, dismissing the Gems and settling a hand on the small of her companion's back as they both turned away.

"My Diamonds," Holly Blue bowed, and turned and strutted out with her company of two.

Steven and Greg barely made it out just in time before the doors crashed shut behind them.

Once outside, they cautiously turned to Holly Blue, facing away from them. Steven noticed, with some relief, that Amethyst had also found her way back to them.

_ "TWO Diamonds!"_

They all jumped at Holly's sudden outburst. "I can't believe it. Can you believe it? Oh well of course you can you probably foresaw the whole thing," she motormouthed.

"Of course! No surprises here," Sapphire replied, following behind, and the rest cautiously followed suit.

"I _never_ expected to see _Yellow Diamond_ in _person_! What a commanding presence—you can just _feel_ strength and confidence radiating _from_ her. Don't misunderstand me, of course," she gushed, suddenly whirling around, and in a split second, Amethyst grew to hide the two humans, who ducked hurriedly behind her. "I'll _always_ be in Blue's confidence, but if I _had_ been made for Yellow, you wouldn't see _me_ complaining!"

She turned and continued down the hallway. Breathing a collective sigh of relief, the Gems followed, Amethyst shrinking down comfortably.

"I _do_ hope they _appreciate_ all my hard work to preserve the Pink Diamond legacy. It would _really_ make it worth being _stationed_ here with these sorry excuses for Gems."

Amethyst let out a quiet breath. They slipped past the Quartz doorguards, who, at Amethyst's shushing motion, straightened and said nothing.

Holly Blue sighed. "It's a shame though. This outpost is so remote, I was beginning to think we'd been forgotten."

One by one, they slipped past her, aiming for the Ruby ship.

"But we _haven't_! Two Diamonds, one day, what an honour! I don't think anything could spoil this for me!"

She turned with a smile to stowaways—two escaped humans, one for each Pearl—the tinted one pulling the humans into the craft, the paler ushering them from behind—an overcooked Amethyst, a frozen Ruby and the Sapphire, commandeering the whole thing.

Under the Agate's cold gaze, Steven and Pink gave a nervous laugh.

Holly Blue was not amused. "What. Is. _THE MEANING OF THIS?!_" she bellowed. Beyond her, the door to the museum was suddenly crowded with purple faces.

"_Why_ are these two outside the containment area?" she demanded.

"Holly Blue, I can explain," Sapphire began, stepping forward.

"No need, your Clarity," she said with a wave of her hand. "Not even _you_ could have foreseen how _incompetent these Amethysts are._"

There was a flash of light behind her head and she raised a hand to the back of her neck. "Well, if you want something done right, you just do it your_self_!" She drew and snapped her electric whip with emphasis, fixing hard eyes on the humans. "_You two_ are coming with _me_!"

She slashed her whip and it darted forward like a snake, coursing with deadly electricity.

There was a flash of light and the electricity fizzled and died against skin.

Garnet stood, clenching the nullified whip. Behind her, Pearl drew her spear. Holly Blue gasped, horrified that a Sapphire should engage in such a low act. Steven almost giggled.

"Garnet!" the humans cried excitedly.

"Steven, get Greg onboard," the fusion replied.

"Yes please," the latter agreed, and scurried through the door. Pink ushered Steven safely on behind him.

"We'll handle this noise," Garnet smirked, summoning her visor.

Pearl leaped forward, slashing at the whip with her spear and disengaging the current, before Amethyst darted forward, grabbing the loose end of the whip and disappearing in a ball of light.

Using spin-dash to zoom around, she effortlessly tangled Holly Blue up in her own whip, earning a collective cheer from the Amethyst guards. Returning to a stationary position, she dusted off her hands and strode onto the ship. Garnet stepped up and smirked at the scandalised Agate.

"I've been waiting to do this all day," she said, summoning a heavy gauntlet—and barely popped Holly in the midsection with an uncovered hand, earning a pathetic squeak as she keeled over and hit the ground with a loud groan. The Amethysts all burst out laughing.

"What are you doing? They're traitors—destroy them!" the Agate cried, rolling onto her knees and shoulders.

The guards' only response was to wave over her head at Amethyst, standing on the ship's ramp. Amethyst grinned, cocking a finger-gun and kissing it for emphasis. "Famethyst for life!"

"I'll report you to the Diamonds," Holly Blue screeched, finally dissipating her whip and sitting up. "All of you, you'll all be _shattered_!"

Pearl sashayed forward and knelt in front of her. "You're _really_ gonna tell the _Diamonds_ that you allowed a band of traitorous rebels to infiltrate a highly secure facility and escape from right under your _careful watch_?"

By this time, Pink was standing beside her, feet apart, hands on hips, grinning victoriously down at the Agate. "Doesn't sound like a very smart thing to do, Holly Blue!~"

Pearl waved a finger in her face like one would to a naughty child and stood, turning into Pink's embrace with a laugh. Together, they leapt up onto the ramp of the hovering Ruby ship. "So do yourself a favour and keep your mouth _shut_," Pearl called, condescendingly.

"That will be all," Pink cooed. Beside her, Steven raised his hands and delivered two precise claps, and they swept out of the bay to the guards' cheers.

* * *

Inside the ship, they all laughed, Pearl once again seated at the controls and Pink perched on the dashboard next to her.

"Thanks so much for comin' to get me," Greg said gratefully. "That has to be like the third craziest weekend I've ever had." They all gazed out at the pink structure, looped by two enormous hand ships—one blue, one yellow—backlit by the enormous orange planet.

"Dad, I'm really sorry I got you into all this," Steven said, hanging his head. "This whole thing started 'cause. . . I wanted answers."

"You don't have to be sorry about a thing," he smiled. "I hope you found what you were looking for."

"I did. I found you."

Behind them, Garnet smiled and laid a hand on Pearl's shoulder. Nodding, she keyed the coordinates into the interface, and the ship warped away from zoos, Diamonds, and Holly Blues. . . back home.

* * *

**PROMPT: "Maybe you can do That will be all and if Pink would go with or stay on earth with Lapis and Peridot" — for Rubpphire on Wattpad! Hope you enjoyed! :)**

**Just here to say that the capitalisation of Gems' names referred to whether or not they were actually viewed as people by the speaker. In the case of Holly Blue, whenever she refers to any Gems below a Sapphire, the name is lowercase, as she views them as little more than servants.**

**And also that the shift between italicising the Diamonds' speech and leaving it as default is the differentiation between Steven seeing them as scary space tyrants and coming to realise that they are just as much people too.**


	12. Requests

○ "If you want a request... Steven getting raised by TWO pearls." from Kaoupa on Archive of Our Own

○ "I REQUEST THE TIME WHEN THEY PLAYED BASEBALL" from a Guest on FanFiction

○ "Perhaps when Pink is in the middle of the fighting when Pearl lied to Garnet to form Sardonyx?" from a Guest on FanFiction

○ "I think you can Last One Out of Beach City and have Pink and Steven freaking out because there being chased by police" from Rubpphire on Wattpad

○ "If you're still open to requests, then could you show Steven's reaction to one of Pink's fusions? I'm thinking Mega Pearl or Pink Opal ^^" from Sirhorsealot on Archive Of Our Own

○ "If you don't mind, I would love to see the gems' reaction to Rose's preganacy (in Tripixle's video Pink was actually excited about it) and "Steven the Sword Fighter" (where pearl is first poofed) rewritten with two pearls." from sosoducky13 on FanFiction  
(And thank you so, so much for your kind words! Comments like yours are what make it all worthwhile!)

Apologies, everyone, but getting these requests up may take a little more time, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten about them! Right now, I have three series up that I'm spreading material across (my "copy-and-paste" series, I'm calling it), and three more in the works! - cotton_smoky's Pink Diamond Survived AU, and my Phantom and Roulette AUs! Also in my senior year of highschool and juggling declining mental health but... wish me luck! Hopefully I can pump this all out eventually!


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